Cranial nerve involvement in COVID-19

The COVID-19 disease emerged in Wuhan province of China in November 2019 and spread across the world in a short time, resulting in a pandemic. The first case in Turkey was detected on March 11, 2020. The aim of the current study was to reveal the effects of COVID-19 on cranial nerves by monitoring people infected with the disease based on repeated examinations and surveys.

The data of 356 patients with a positive COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test who received treatment between June 2020 and August 2020 in our hospital were prospectively evaluated after the study was approved by the relevant ethics committee.

Of the 356 patients included in the study, 47 under the age of 18 years were excluded due to their unreliable examination and anamnesis findings. In addition, seven patients that died while in hospital were excluded from the study due to the lack of examination and survey records during their hospitalization. The data of the remaining 302 patients were statistically analyzed. Symptoms of cranial nerve involvement were observed in 135 patients.

The COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus commonly results in cranial nerve symptoms. The fact that these findings are more common and severe in COVID-19 than previous SARS and MERS outbreaks suggests that it has a more neurotrophic and more aggressive neuroinvasion. While the negative effects of the virus on sensory functions resulting from cranial nerve involvement are evident, motor functions are rarely affected.