About a third of COVID-19 patients experience these neurological symptoms – their doctor recommended

Raminta Godelienė, a neurologist working at Northway Medical Center in Klaipėda and Klaipėda University Hospital, tells more about this.

According to the specialist, neurological symptoms can be caused both by the direct effect of the virus on the nervous system and by the response of the immune system initiated by the virus. The most common neurological symptoms are headache, dizziness, loss of taste and smell, muscle aches. Loss of taste or smell is recognized as an early symptom to help suspect the disease.

According to various studies, from 30 to 70 percent. patients suffer from headaches.

Headache experts analyze and look for headache characteristics that could be associated with coronavirus infection. Pain associated with COVID-19 infection has been reported to be sudden, moderate to severe, throbbing, or compressed, in the occipital region, but can include the forehead and eye area. It decreases slightly compared to conventional painkillers. Often times, patients with coronavirus infection who have experienced headaches do not have previous episodes of headache (migraine or tension-type), but migraine patients, for example, have been reported to experience longer lasting headaches, more severe and early-onset during COVID. -19 infection.

Headaches can occur from the first day of the illness, but about 30 percent. headache patients may persist for more than 6 weeks after the onset of infection. Such a headache can turn into a new headache every day and up to 10 percent. patients remain the only residual sign of recurrent infection.

Some neurological symptoms resolve spontaneously as soon as they recover or within a few weeks. The sense of smell and taste disappears in an average of 2 weeks, but sometimes it takes up to a month.

Long-term symptoms that can persist after a recurrent COVID-19 infection include fatigue, muscle pain, muscle weakness, anxiety, and mood and sleep disorders. Fatigue can persist for several months after an illness. Memory and cognitive function disorders have also been observed: it is more difficult to concentrate and perform certain mental tasks.

According to the neurologist, residual complications are often associated with a severe form of COVID-19 infection. With the coronavirus, the risk of blood clots increases with the increase of inflammatory factors and promoters of clotting.

Furthermore, in the case of respiratory failure, the lack of oxygen can also cause damage to brain tissue. The most serious complications of the COVID-19 virus include stroke, loss of consciousness, seizures, and vision problems. Serious complications are usually associated with old age and patient comorbidities: cardiovascular disease, diabetes.

A past infection can also lead to the development of certain inflammatory or neurodegenerative autoimmune diseases in the future. However, long-term follow-up is needed to fully assess the possible consequences of the virus, according to the doctor.

The coronavirus can also worsen the symptoms of existing chronic neurological diseases, leading to exacerbation of these diseases. Fever and infections can be triggers for epileptic seizures.

Certain neurological diseases are associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 infection and exacerbate the disease itself. Sometimes this is related to the disease itself, sometimes to treatment that suppresses the immune system. Patients with restricted movement function (patients with Parkinson’s disease, other muscular or neurodegenerative diseases, as well as a severe neurological deficit after a stroke, spinal cord injuries) are at high risk of developing a severe form of the virus.

“Certain diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and myasthenia, are treated with immunosuppressive medications, which increase the risk of developing a COVID-19 infection. However, certain immunosuppressive medications have been shown to inhibit the possible development of a cytokine storm. (a condition in which the cells of the immune system over-activate each other and stimulate inflammation) and prevent the development of severe forms of the disease, “says the doctor.

According to R. Godelienė, during the first pandemic, the number of patients requesting neurological symptoms decreased due to the limited availability of outpatient services. Currently, most patients who see a doctor experience various types of pain, including headaches.

In this period of anxiety and uncertainty, the limitation of social life has increased the number of people who complain of tension-type headaches. The lack of physical activity during quarantine, the decrease in physical activity and the availability of rehabilitation measures also increase the pain caused by cervical spine pathology.

The doctor remembers that regular physical activity, a healthy diet, quality sleep and stress management are extremely important during this pandemic. People who promote an active and healthy life can expect a faster and easier recovery from COVID-19 infection.

“Currently, the focus in Lithuania and around the world is on coronavirus patients. However, despite the current situation, I would like to urge you not to lay your hands on frustrating quality of life symptoms and to take care of your health the moment you feel them. If the disease is abandoned or its complications develop, it can be much more difficult to help “, warns neurologist Raminta Godelienė at the end of the conversation.