Neurological complications of COVID-19: a systematic review

This study aims to systematically review the neurological complications in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and the methods used to diagnose both neurological complications and coronavirus infection.

Data from three different online databases (PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) were searched on 29 April 2020 and after duplicate, irrelevant, and inappropriate records were excluded, data extraction was done.

The 22 records included for analysis provided 57 patients with neurological sequelae. The neurological complications reported ranged widely from ischemic cerebrovascular accidents to cerebral hemorrhage and were seen at both peripheral and central nervous system levels. The most frequently reported neurological complication was acute ischemic cerebrovascular accident, followed by Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Considering the possibility of neurological involvement in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection can result in earlier diagnosis and treatment; otherwise permanent, irreversible sequelae and even death may follow. More comprehensive studies may indicate that until the end of the present pandemic, young adults with unexplained and unexpected stroke as well as patients with newly diagnosed Guillain-Barré syndrome should be tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection.