A British medical team warned today, Wednesday, of complications in the brain caused by the new epidemic of Corona (Covid-19), including stroke, delirium and hallucinations, that may be more common than previously thought.
It is known that serious cases of Covid-19 carry a risk of neurological complications, but research conducted by scientists at the University College London (UCL) shows that serious problems may occur even in those with minor symptoms.
The team focused on the neurological symptoms of forty-three patients being treated in hospital for a confirmed or suspected injury to Covid-19. Among them, there are ten cases of temporary brain dysfunction, twelve cases of brain infections, eight strokes, and eight cases of nerve damage.
The majority of these patients with infections have received a diagnosis of acute encephalitis and their prevalence, a rare disease that generally affects children after exposure to viral diseases.
"We have identified more than expected people with neurological disorders without having a permanent link with the severity of respiratory symptoms," said Michael Zandi of Queen's Square Institute of Neurology at UCL University.
The study published by the specialized journal "Brian" shows that none of the patients who were diagnosed with neurological diseases had no effect on the emerging coronavirus in the spinal fluid, which leads to the belief that the virus did not directly attack their brain.
"Since the disease has only been around for a few months, we do not yet know what damage Covid-19 may cause in the long term," said Ross Patterson, a researcher at Queen Square Institute of Neurology.
"Doctors should be aware of the potential neurological consequences, because any early diagnosis might improve the results for patients' health," he added.
With more than 11 million confirmed infections worldwide, it has been shown that Covid-19 disease leads to a number of complications in addition to pneumonia.
Although this new research leads to the belief that cerebral complications may be more common than thought, the researchers point out that this does not mean a wide spread of these cases.
"Because of the high attention given to this pandemic, it is unlikely that a large parallel pandemic of unusual neurodegenerative events will be spread by Covid-19," said Anthony David, director of the Institute of Mental Health at UCL University.