According to a new study, published in the journal The Lancet Neurology , researchers from the University of Liverpool in the UK, COVID-19 has been associated mostly with problems like difficulty breathing, fever and cough.
However, as the pandemic has continued, it has become increasingly clear that other problems can occur in patients. These include confusion, stroke, inflammation of the brain, spinal cord, and other kinds of nerve disease.
“It is really important that doctors around the world recognise that COVID-19 can cause encephalitis and other brain problems, which often have potentially devastating, life-changing consequences for patients,” said study co-author Ava Easton, CEO of the Encephalitis Society in the UK.
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“Whilst these complications are relatively uncommon, the huge numbers of COVID-19 cases globally mean the overall number of patients with neurological problems is likely to be quite large,” said study researcher Suzannah Lant.
According to the researchers, one of the complications found to be linked to COVID-19 is encephalitis, which is inflammation and swelling of the brain.
“We are currently pooling data from individual patients all around the world, so that we can get a more complete picture. Doctors who would like to contribute patients to this analysis can contact us via the Global COVID-Neuro Network website,” the study authors wrote.
Recently another study, published this week in the journal Brain, showed that COVID-19 can cause severe neurological complications, including delirium, brain inflammation, stroke and nerve damage.
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