Analysis of neurological disorders in people who had COVID-19 in Brazil

Introduction: After coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) infection, many patients have residual and persistent neurological symptoms. The severity and extent of these symptoms is still unknown Methods: Over 1 year, a virtual questionnaire was applied, using Google Forms, to people who had confirmed COVID-19 infection in Brazil, analyzing the neurological symptoms that persisted after infection, their duration and the relationship between them and the severity of the acute infection. Findings: Out of 1194 people who answered the questionnaire, 947 (79.5%) were eligible for symptoms analysis. Among these patients, 6.8% needed hospitalization (39.2% of them required oxygen therapy and 26.6% needed orotracheal intubation). The incidence of symptoms were headache (65,8%), smell disfunction (59,6%), taste disfunction (51,8%), muscle weakness (51,8%), memory impairment (42,8%), dizziness (37,7%), mental confusion (22,4%), difficulty walking (20%), and visual changes (9,1%). In most cases, symptoms improved within a month, despite a significant percentage of patients persisting with symptoms for several months. However, memory impairment was significantly more persistent, with 39.7% of the patients having it for more than a year. And this was frequent even in those who did not need hospitalization in the acute phase of the disease, with 24.2% of all nonhospitalized patients having this complain for more than 6 months. Interpretation: Many COVID-19 patients have persistent neurological symptoms after the acute infection has ended. In some cases the symptoms can last a long time. Despite being a self-reported study, it is very likely that there is a significant functional impact in this population and it is clear that we need to research effective therapeutic strategies for these conditions.