Study Documents Neurological, Psychiatric Complications From COVID-19

While previous studies and case reports have found that COVID-19 patients have experienced vascular and neurological problems, a newstudy inthe Lancet Psychiatry reports that patients are also showing symptoms of psychiatric disorders, including psychosis and depression.The study was the result of a collaborative effort of specialists in the United Kingdom to document COVID-19 complications.“To our knowledge, this is the first systematic, nationwide U.K. surveillance study of the breadth of acute complications of COVID-19 in the nervous system,” wrote Aravinthan Varatharaj, M.R.C.P., of University Hospital Southampton and colleagues.Earlier this year, researchers created a U.K.-wide online portal through which specialists in neurology, psychiatry, stroke medicine, and neurointensive care could enter clinical data on COVID-19 patients who developed nervous system –related complications. The complications were classified in four broad areas: a cerebrovascular event (such as a stroke or brain hemorrhage), altered mental status (a change in behavior, cognition, or consciousness), peripheral neurological issue (weakness and/or pain in body nerves or muscles), or other.The researchers focused on data entered between April 2 and April 26 —the first three weeks that the portal accepted submissions. Full clinical details on 125 patients were analyzed.Of this group, 77 patients experienced a cerebrovascular event (primarily stroke), 39 experienced altered mental status, six exp...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Aravinthan Varatharaj brain hemorrhage brain inflammation cognition COVID-19 depression Lancet Psychiatry pain psychiatric disorders psychosis stroke United Kingdom weakness Source Type: research