Study: Severe COVID-19 Cases Can Cause Brain Damage, Psychiatric Problems

A recent study published by The Lancet Psychiatry shows that severe cases of the coronavirus can result in patients developing brain damage and psychiatric problems, The Guardian reports.

“There have been growing reports of an association between COVID-19 infection and possible neurological or psychiatric complications, but until now these have typically been limited to studies of 10 patients or fewer,” said the study's lead author Dr. Benedict Michael, a Senior Clinician Scientist Fellow and an Honorary Consultant Neurologist at the University of Liverpool. “Ours is the first nationwide study of neurological complications associated with COVID-19, but it is important to note that it is focused on cases that are severe enough to require hospitalization.”

The study examined 125 cases, and found that the most common brain complication is a stroke, found in 77 patients, 57 of which were caused by a blood clot in the brain. Thirty-nine patients demonstrated signs of confusion or unusual behavior, seven of whom were diagnosed with encephalitis or an inflammation of the brain. The other 23 were diagnosed with various psychiatric conditions, including psychosis.

“To our knowledge, this is the first nationwide, cross-specialty surveillance study of acute neurological and psychiatric complications of COVID-19,” the report states. “Altered mental status was the second most common presentation, comprising encephalopathy or encephalitis and primary psychiatric diagnoses, often occurring in younger patients. This study provides valuable and timely data that are urgently needed by clinicians, researchers, and funders to inform immediate steps in COVID-19 neuroscience research and health policy.”

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