Brain issues seen in 1% of hospitalised Covid patients, say researchers

Roughly one in every 100 patients hospitalised with Covid-19 will likely have central nervous system complications, researchers reported on Tuesday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

Among nearly 38,000 patients hospitalised with Covid-19 in the United States and Europe, symptoms led doctors to suspect brain complications in about 11 per cent. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) exams confirmed central nervous system abnormalities that were most likely associated with the virus in 10 per cent of those patients, for an overall incidence of 1.2 per cent.

The most common finding was stroke due to clogged arteries, but the researchers also saw bleeding in the brain, inflammation of the brain, and other potentially fatal complications.

Study leader Scott Faro of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia said in a statement that while the lung problems related to Covid-19 are well recognised, “our study shows that central nervous system complications represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in this devastating pandemic.”