People with moderate cases of Covid-19 can suffer STROKES

by

Even people with moderate cases of Covid-19 can suffer STROKES and seizures, study suggests

  • Researchers looked at the cases of 74 people who tested positive for Covid-19 
  • Reveals high prevalence of  neurological symptoms in Covid-19 patients 
  • Symptoms such as stroke and seizures as well as inflammation may be more common than previously believed 

By Joe Pinkstone For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Moderate cases of Covid-19 which do not require treatment in intensive care can still lead to strokes and seizures, according to a new study. 

Researchers looked at the cases of 921 people who were admitted to a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, between April and July. Seventy-four had both Covid-19 and also underwent a neurologic examination. 

The study reveals symptoms such as stroke and seizures as well as inflammation may be more common than previously believed, irrespective of Covid-19 severity.    

Researchers looked at the cases of 921 people who were admitted to a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts between April and July and 74 has both Covid-19 and also underwent a neurologic examination (file photo)

‘We looked at people with neurologic symptoms and COVID at a racially and socioeconomically diverse hospital and found a wide range of neurologic complications,’ said study author Dr Pria Anand of Boston University. 

‘Yet the majority of these people did not require critical care, suggesting that neurologic complications may be common in people with moderate COVID-19 as well as those with severe disease.’ 

More than half the patients were black (51 per cent) and the average age was 64.

By the time the Covid-19 patients made it to hospital, 18 had suffered a stroke, 15 had had seizures, and 26 people were suffering from a type of brain dysfunction that causes confusion and delirium called toxic-metabolic encephalopathy.

Three people suffered trauma to the brain after falling over due to Covid-19, the study published in the journal Neurology reports. 

‘More research is needed to fully understand the breadth of neurologic complications associated with COVID-19 infection,’ Dr Anand said.   

Throughout the course of the pandemic, it has become clear the coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, does not just cause respiratory distress but neurological issues as well. 

For example, one in three report symptoms such as loss of smell or taste, headaches, fatigue, dizziness and nausea.

Throughout the course of the pandemic, it has become clear the coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, does not just cause respiratory distress but neurological issues as well. For example, one in three report symptoms such as loss of smell, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, and nausea

Throughout the course of the pandemic, it has become clear the coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, does not just cause respiratory distress but neurological issues as well. For example, one in three report symptoms such as loss of smell, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, and nausea 

Scientists in Germany recently published findings of autopsies performed on 33 patients who died of Covid-19.

They studied the mucus at the back of the nose — above the mouth where the throat joins the nasal cavity — as well as samples of brain tissue. 

The study provided the first definitive evidence that the virus infects the brain and claims it can reach there after being inhaled via the nose. 

A previous study had also found delirium in one in three elderly patients — increasing their risk of death by 24 per cent.

Delirium is a specific neurological condition that comes on suddenly, leads to confusion, and often leaves people struggling to think clearly. 

It can also cause hallucinations and irritate behaviour and trigger mood swings. 

More than HALF of hospitalised Covid-19 patients develop a psychiatric disorder after being discharged 

More than half of patients who receive hospital treatment for Covid-19 later develop a psychiatric disorder, a study reveals. 

A total of 402 coronavirus patients at San Raffaele hospital in Milan were assessed as part of a research project to see the long-term impacts of the virus on the brain. 

It revealed that one month after leaving hospital, a large amount of people suffered from either post-traumatic stress (PTSD), anxiety, insomnia or depression.

The survey showed that more than half of the patients – 265 men and 137 women – experienced at least one of these disorders. 

‘It was immediately clear that the inflammation caused by the disease could also have repercussions at the psychiatric level,’ said professor Francesco Benedetti, group leader of the Research Unit in Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology at San Raffaele, in a statement.

The report was published in the scientific journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity.

Based on clinical interviews and self-assessment questionnaires, physicians found PTSD in 28 per cent of cases, depression in 31 per cent, anxiety in 42 per cent of patients and insomnia in 40 per cent, and finally obsessive-compulsive symptoms in 20 per cent.