COVID 19 s Effect on the Nervous System
COVID-19's Effect on the Nervous System Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.
Lungs (, ) A study in found that more than 36 percent of 214 patients in Wuhan, China, experienced neurologic symptoms during the course of their COVID-19 illness. Dizziness and headache were among the most common symptoms listed; instances of stroke and loss of taste and smell were also reported. Other published accounts document a more-than-usual prevalence in COVID-19 patients of Guillain-Barré syndrome, an affliction that can lead to temporary paralysis, plus instances of confusion and severe agitation. "I think at this point, I would say that we know something” is happening when it comes to COVID-19 and the brain, says Sherry Chou, associate professor of critical care medicine, neurology and neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh. “But we definitely don't know enough.”
"We need to figure out as quickly as we can, and as accurately as we can, how big a problem this is, how often is this happening, and who is it happening to,” Chou adds. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Entertainment $3 off popcorn and soft drink combos See more Entertainment offers > "It's a nice-sounding theory,” Chou says — especially considering that “we know the coronavirus lives in your nose.” (Testing for virus is often conducted by way of a nasal swab.) But “there is currently no proof of that whatsoever,” she adds. Another thought is that the body's reaction to the infection is what causes nervous system damage in some people with COVID-19. Sometimes when the body fights off an infection, “it's not the infection itself that hurts your brain and your nerves, but your body's response in trying to fight off that infection,” Chou explains. And that response “can actually hurt your brain and your nerves by mistake, almost.” Think of it as “friendly fire,” Chou says. This type of reaction is not unique to COVID-19. When the body fights the virus that causes the flu, for example, an immune response can trigger dizziness and headaches, says Igor Koralnik, professor of neurology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Headache is another possible neurological symptom of COVID-19 listed by the CDC. Because difficulty breathing is common among people with moderate to severe cases of COVID-19, Koralnik points to the possibility that a primary infection could take place in the brain stem — particularly the part that houses the respiratory centers and controls breathing. An infection in this part of the nervous system “could further worsen the respiratory failure of the patient, if it was the case,” Koralnik says. "So it's not clear if it's a direct infection by the virus or if it's secondary to the systemic inflammation that [a patient may have] due to dysregulated immune response to the virus,” he adds. Injury to the brain and nervous system could also be a result of a cascade effect from loss of oxygen from damaged lungs that leads to multisystem organ failure, experts say. “The overall process of being critically ill” may also play a role in the development of neurological complications, Navi says. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. More on health AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS
This Is What the Coronavirus Can Do to Your Brain
Doctors are seeing strokes seizures loss of smell other neurological symptoms in virus patients
Getty Images Babak Navi, the division chief for stroke and hospital neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine and a neurologist at New York-Presbyterian, has been working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic in New York City for several weeks. And during that time, he's noticed a troubling pattern of symptoms beyond respiratory distress in patients with COVID-19, the illness caused by the . Some have developed ; others have experienced seizures. A handful have woken up to slower-than-normal cognitive speeds. The common thread among these COVID-19 patients? All point to disruptions in the nervous system. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. As the sum of coronavirus cases continues to climb, experts are learning more about the virus and the illness it causes. And an increasing number of reports from hospitals around the world show that in some patients, the disease can damage more than just the lungs. It can harm the brain, too. Getty Images Coronavirus Through the Body Learn more about COVID-19's effects on organs and existing conditions.Lungs (, ) A study in found that more than 36 percent of 214 patients in Wuhan, China, experienced neurologic symptoms during the course of their COVID-19 illness. Dizziness and headache were among the most common symptoms listed; instances of stroke and loss of taste and smell were also reported. Other published accounts document a more-than-usual prevalence in COVID-19 patients of Guillain-Barré syndrome, an affliction that can lead to temporary paralysis, plus instances of confusion and severe agitation. "I think at this point, I would say that we know something” is happening when it comes to COVID-19 and the brain, says Sherry Chou, associate professor of critical care medicine, neurology and neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh. “But we definitely don't know enough.”
Uncharted waters
Among the biggest questions on her mind — and the minds of experts across the globe — are why and how the novel coronavirus produces neurological symptoms in some. Does it target the nervous system directly? Or is the brain merely a victim of the body's reaction to the infection? "We're really in uncharted waters here,” Chou says, noting that most of what we do know about how the virus attacks the body is still anecdotal due to its newness and the current focus on care and containment. Chou is hopeful the gap in knowledge will soon narrow, however. She's leading a research consortium of physicians and scientists from around the world to better understand the virus’ impact on the brain and the nervous system."We need to figure out as quickly as we can, and as accurately as we can, how big a problem this is, how often is this happening, and who is it happening to,” Chou adds. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Entertainment $3 off popcorn and soft drink combos See more Entertainment offers > "It's a nice-sounding theory,” Chou says — especially considering that “we know the coronavirus lives in your nose.” (Testing for virus is often conducted by way of a nasal swab.) But “there is currently no proof of that whatsoever,” she adds. Another thought is that the body's reaction to the infection is what causes nervous system damage in some people with COVID-19. Sometimes when the body fights off an infection, “it's not the infection itself that hurts your brain and your nerves, but your body's response in trying to fight off that infection,” Chou explains. And that response “can actually hurt your brain and your nerves by mistake, almost.” Think of it as “friendly fire,” Chou says. This type of reaction is not unique to COVID-19. When the body fights the virus that causes the flu, for example, an immune response can trigger dizziness and headaches, says Igor Koralnik, professor of neurology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Headache is another possible neurological symptom of COVID-19 listed by the CDC. Because difficulty breathing is common among people with moderate to severe cases of COVID-19, Koralnik points to the possibility that a primary infection could take place in the brain stem — particularly the part that houses the respiratory centers and controls breathing. An infection in this part of the nervous system “could further worsen the respiratory failure of the patient, if it was the case,” Koralnik says. "So it's not clear if it's a direct infection by the virus or if it's secondary to the systemic inflammation that [a patient may have] due to dysregulated immune response to the virus,” he adds. Injury to the brain and nervous system could also be a result of a cascade effect from loss of oxygen from damaged lungs that leads to multisystem organ failure, experts say. “The overall process of being critically ill” may also play a role in the development of neurological complications, Navi says. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. More on health AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS