COVID-19 and Neurology - An Emerging Association.

Gupta, Amit; Yadav, Prakrati; Kumar, Deepak

BACKGROUND Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, which is a cause of the ongoing pandemic, has the potential to infect the nervous system and causing neurological manifestations. However, patients with primarily neurological symptoms are often overlooked and tested later. OBJECTIVE We aim to summarise all the neurological manifestations which are reported so far to aid in early diagnosis and preventingze all the neurological manifestations that are reported so far to aid in early diagnosis and prevent further complication of the disease. METHODS AND MATERIAL We did a literature search on the topic using Google search engine through Google Scholar, PubMed, and WHO resources by keywords including Coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Clinical features, Stroke, Transverse myelitis, Encephalitis, Encephalopathy, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Hypogeusia, Hyposmia, Anosmia, and Neurological manifestations. DISCUSSION SARS-CoV-2 can affect the neuronal cells by both direct and indirect mechanisms. This can lead to various neurological manifestations ranging from subtle symptoms of myalgia, headache, dizziness, hypogeusia, hyposmia to dreaded complications like stroke, encephalitis, demyelinating disease like Guillain-Barre syndrome. CONCLUSIONS Presentation of COVID-19 with neurological features is not uncommon, and these patients should be tested earlier to help in the prevention of transmission, early diagnosis, and management.