In this nice paper, recently published in the European Journal of Neurology, the authors reviewed neurological manifestations in patients with COVID-19 and the possible neuro-invasive mechanisms of Sars-CoV-2. Neurological manifestations potentially related to COVID-19 have been reported in large studies, case series and case reports and include acute cerebrovascular diseases, impaired consciousness, cranial nerve problems and auto-immune disorders such as Guillain-Barré Syndrome, often present in patients with more severe COVID-19. Cranial nerve symptoms, such as olfactory and gustatory dysfunction, are highly prevalent in patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 even without associated nasal symptoms, and often present at an early stage of the disease. The authors concluded that the neurological symptoms in COVID-19 patients may be due to direct viral neurological injury or indirect neuroinflammatory and autoimmune mechanisms. Moreover, the long-term consequences of the infection on human health remain uncertain, especially in regard to the neurological system.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ene.14329
by Marialuisa Zedde and Francesco Cavallieri