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Sudden loss of taste and sense of smell are just the first unusual symptoms that COVID-19 patients complain about. But research and case reports mention seizures, strokes, and inflammation of the brain (encephalitis).
Some patients diagnosed with COVID-19 also experienced confusion, dizziness, delusions, and difficulty concentrating, experts say.
Scientists have been constantly trying to understand the disease for a month and it seems that the brain is affected by many of these manifestations, which are difficult to understand.
To systematize the rapidly accumulating data, the two neurologists wrote a review that compiled all the data obtained so far on how COVID-19 disrupts normal brain function as measured by EEG.
The EEG (electroencephalogram) is a way of recording electrical activity in a certain part of the brain. This is usually done by placing the electrodes on the head.
The review described cases involving nearly 620 COVID-19 patients, for a total of 84 studies, published in peer-reviewed journals or placed in peer-reviewed databases. Electroencephalograms were presented in all these works.
EEG examination reveals certain COVID-19-related encephalopathies, changes in brain function caused by a viral disease.
Approximately two-thirds of the patients described in the review were male, with a mean age of 61 years for all subjects. Some patients also had other chronic conditions that could alter the EEG data, such as dementia. These cases were evaluated by the researchers by analyzing the collected data.
Of the 420 patients whose EEG test was the cause of the study, the most common was “altered mental status”: almost two-thirds of the patients experienced confusion, delirium or coma.
About 30 percent. the patients also experienced seizure-like symptoms that prompted doctors to perform an EEG test, and some patients had language problems. Others experienced unexpected cardiac arrest that could have disrupted blood flow to the brain.
EEG studies in patients have shown a wide range of abnormalities in brain disorders, including certain rhythmic changes and spikes in activity characteristic of epilepsy. The most commonly observed abnormality was diffuse deceleration, which characterizes the general deceleration of brain waves and indicates brain dysfunction.
In COVID patients, this disorder may have been caused by general inflammation due to the immune system fighting the virus, or a decrease in cerebral blood flow if the disease affects lung or heart function.
In terms of more localized effects, a third of all identified abnormalities were found in the forehead of the brain, where conscious thought processes, logical reasoning, and decision-making take place. The forehead area of the brain is also responsible for emotions, controls our behavior, and participates in the processes of learning and attention.
“This knowledge tells us that EEG examinations should be performed for a broader range of patients, as well as other brain examinations: MRI, CT scan. This would allow us to take a closer look at the forehead of the brain,” said Zulfi Haneef , a neurologist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, USA.
In the long term, an EEG test can be used to confirm a COVID-19 diagnosis or to provide insight into possible complications of the disease. This would help doctors monitor long-term residual symptoms of COVID-19 and detect any long-term changes in the patient’s brain function.
Unfortunately, these results say nothing about the extent to which these electrical brain wave disorders are common in the general public, as only COVID-19 patients were included in the analysis. However, they contribute to the growing body of evidence that the new coronavirus may have a significant impact on the neurological status of patients.
“More research is needed, but our findings show these are the areas to focus on. EEG abnormalities affecting the forehead of the brain appear to be common COVID-19-induced encephalopathies and have been hypothesized to be a potential marker for the disease, ”Haneef said.
As the pandemic continues, we are beginning to realize how stubborn COVID-19 can be, and some patients even call it “long-term” – they experience symptoms for several months after the first diagnosis.
“A lot of people think they will get sick, get well, and then things will go back to normal. However, our findings show that there may be long-term traces; We suspected it for a long time, but now we also have evidence, ”Haneef explained.
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