COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone’s life seriously. Overall 4.8 million cases and 300000 deaths were reported worldwide. It is considered one of the severe pandemics since the 1918 influenza pandemic.
The common presentation of coronavirus is a respiratory disease. People, who get in contact with the virus report respiratory issues. However, the reports of neurological features are increasing rapidly.
The symptoms are appearing in the combination of non-specific complications, effects of viral infection, and inflammation of the nervous system.
Researchers have discovered some new findings on the neurological association of COVID-19. They found that coronavirus not only attacks the respiratory system in the human body, but it also causes significant damage to the neurological system.
Here we have mentioned the top neurological diseases that are associated with COVID-19.
1. Encephalitis:
It is an inflammation of the brain parenchyma, which is caused by the infection of the body’s immune defense. In clinical researches, evidence is found for brain inflammation.
The reports have shown imaging changes and focal abnormalities on EEG. The neurological association is typical for encephalitis as everyone has experienced some unique symptoms. Some people have experienced irritability, confusion, and reduced consciousness.
2. Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis and myelitis:
It is basically a syndrome of multifocal demyelization. It typically occurs after weeks of infection. It shows focal neurology symptoms including weakness in the left arm, the right leg, and paresis.
Researchers have found that people are dealing with focal neurological symptoms like fatigue, acute flaccid paraparesis with incontinence, and inflammation of the spinal cord as well. Encephalomyelitis and myelitis are considered post-infectious diseases, which cause because of a poor immune system.
3. Peripheral nervous system and muscle disease:
The peripheral nervous system and muscle disease are also associated with COVID-19. Guillain-Barré syndrome is a polyradiculopathy, which is characterized by symmetrical limb weakness, sensory symptoms, and facial weakness.
The neurological symptoms started after 7-24 days of respiratory infection. Moreover, some patients have experienced conditions like diarrhea before the beginning of neurological diseases.
The Miller Fisher variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome is also found in the patient and they have experienced a loss of smell and taste.
4. Cerebrovascular manifestations:
Coronavirus causes serious damage to endothelial cells. The endothelial cell damage can cause microangiopathy, which increases the risk of stroke, which also occurs during the early inflammation process. It can also lead microvascular and macrovascular complications in the brain.
The viral replication in the cerebral arterial wall may trigger inflammation. The endothelial infection by covid-19 is identified in the kidney, heart, bowel, and lung at autopsy.
5. Neurological disease:
In researches, it is identified that COVID-19 spread neurological diseases. In the clinical diagnosis, indications of neurological diseases have found during the early stage of the covid-19 infection. People with asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic infections have experienced the condition of neurological diseases. The infection has affected the people, who have pre-existed mild symptoms of neurological diseases. These symptoms become visible after weeks of infection.