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. 2020 Jul;142(1):14-22.
doi: 10.1111/ane.13266. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

Neurological Manifestations of COVID-19: A systematic review and current update

Abigail Whittaker  1 , Matthew Anson  1   2 , Amer Harky  3   4
Affiliations

Neurological Manifestations of COVID-19: A systematic review and current update

Abigail Whittaker et al. Acta Neurol Scand. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

The novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was first identified in December of 2019 in the city of Wuhan, China. Since the outbreak, various reports detail its symptoms and outcomes, primarily focusing on respiratory complications. However, reports are emerging of the virus' effects systemically, including that of the nervous system. A review of all current published literature was conducted, and we report that headache and anosmia were common neurological manifestations of SARS-CoV-2. Less common symptoms include seizure, stroke and isolated cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome. Further research is now warranted to precisely determine the relationship between those patients developing neurological sequelae, their clinical state and any subsequent morbidity and mortality.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; nervous system; neurology.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest or sources of support.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow chart for literature search results
Figure 2
Figure 2
Illustration of reported neurological manifestations of SARS‐CoV‐2
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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