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Audio Interview

The neurological symptoms of COVID-19

Published on October 27, 2020   17 min

A selection of talks on Respiratory Diseases

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Interviewer: Dr. Michael Zandi, thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview with us today to discuss the collection of neurological symptoms reported to date with regards to patients having suffered from COVID-19. First of all, can you provide an account of the breadth of neurological symptoms and events that you have now documented as potential COVID-19 symptoms, and what is their prevalence in COVID patients? Dr. Zandi: Thanks very much and thanks, Scott, for inviting me and it's a pleasure to speak to you today and take part in this interview. We've known since COVID-19 was first described, the first reports in China from Wuhan that neurological symptoms are quite common, at least in hospitalized patients. Perhaps up to a third of people who have been hospitalized with COVID have had neurological symptoms of some kind, but it's less clear really what represents disease in the brain or in the nerves. We know, for example, that it may be a quarter or a third of people who are in hospital with COVID and often requiring oxygen. This is relatively severe disease compared to those who don't come into hospital. But those who do come into hospital, around a third or a quarter can be confused, have a delirium, have memory problems, and that can be short-lived and get better over a few days. But we have seen this occur in people a week or after their original respiratory illness. We really don't know what the incidence prevalence is on a larger scale because we're all learning about this illness,