An insight into the neurological manifestations of COVID-19 in the emergency department

Abstract

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, there is an increasing recognition that patients with COVID-19 infection may present with neurological symptoms as the primary manifestation. These symptoms can be related to Central Nervous System like headache, altered mental status, acute encephalitis, acute stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, seizures; or the peripheral nervous system like anosmia, hypogeusia, muscle pain and weakness, movement disorders, acute myelitis and Guillain–Barré syndrome, etc. In the absence of the classic presentation with fever or respiratory symptoms, an initial neurological presentation serves as a diagnostic dilemma. This review will aid acute care physicians to have a high index of clinical suspicion to consider COVID-19 infection as a differential diagnosis for any patient presenting with primary neurologic manifestations. This will help avoid delayed diagnosis, as well as reduce exposure to health care providers.

Keywords

• neurological manifestations
• COVID-19
• SARS-CoV-2
• emergency department

References

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