May 11, 2021

Global Incidence of Neurological Manifestations Among Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19—A Report for the GCS-NeuroCOVID Consortium and the ENERGY Consortium

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Clinical Characteristics and Health Care Setting

Keywords (Tags): clinical characteristics

• Neurological manifestations were found in 82% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in a cohort study across 2 consortia of patients from 13 countries (n=3,744). The most common self-reported symptoms included headache (37%) and loss of smell or taste  (26%), while the most prevalent neurological signs and/or syndromes were acute encephalopathy (49%), coma (17%), and stroke (6%). After adjusting for study site, age, sex, race, and ethnicity, patients with clinically captured neurologic signs and/or syndromes had a 6-fold higher risk of in-hospital death. Patients with preexisting neurological disorders had a 2.2-fold higher risk of developing neurological signs and/or syndromes with COVID-19.

Chou et al. (May 11, 2021). Global Incidence of Neurological Manifestations Among Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19—A Report for the GCS-NeuroCOVID Consortium and the ENERGY Consortium. JAMA Network Open. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.12131