2019-NCoV: What every neurologist should know?

2019-NCoV: What every neurologist should know?

Gagandeep Singh, Monika Singla, Rajinder Bansal, Parveen Goel, Nitika Mahajan, Balveen Singh, Venkatesh Sajja, Parth Bansal, Birinder Paul, Rahul Midha

The 2019 novel Corona Virus pandemic beginning from Wuhan, China primarily affects the respiratory tract but its has impacted clinical practice across a range of specialities including neurology. We review the bearing of the 2019 NCoV infection on neurological practice. Neurological manifestations are less common than respiratory manifestations, yet conspicuous, affecting nearly over a third of hospitalized individuals. These may be classified in to early – headache, dizziness, hyposmia and hypogeusia and late – encephalopathy. Rarely but surely, a very small proportion of infected individuals might present with stroke. Certain neurological conditions, including cerebrovascular disease in both China and Italy and dementia in Italy predispose to infection and more severe manifestations, requiring intensive care unit admission. There is no convincing evidence that the manifestations, course and outcome of various neurological disorders is impacted by 2019 nCoV infection. Concerns of an increased risk of febrile seizures offset by a reduced frequency of infection in the paediatric age group. Individuals with multiple sclerosis might potentially experience both true and pseudorelapses. Besides a direct effect, 2019 nCoV has tremendously affected neurological care by disrupting the continuity of care and the availability of neurological medicines worldwide. Neurologists should respond to this challenge by developing and sustaining innovative methods of providing care as well as alerting the society at large to adopt measures to contain the spread of 2019 nCoV.

2020

Stroke, epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, headache, neurological manifestations, 2019 novel coronavirus

DOI: 10.4103/aian.AIAN_210_20

Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology

Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications

Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system