Patients with COVID-19 present neurological and musculoskeletal symptoms

Objectives:
Some of the symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough and breathing difficulty. However, the mechanism of the disease, including some of the symptoms such as the neurological and musculoskeletal symptoms, is still poorly understood. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Do patients with COVID-19 present neurological and musculoskeletal symptoms?

Study design:
This review article included 4 case series, 10 case reports and 46 either cohort or cross-sectional studies.
All the studies were published in 2020.
The total number of participants in the included studies was 11,069, of which 5,168 were male.
The median or mean age ranged from 24 to 95 years.
Based on the studies reporting the situations of the patients, there were 2,377 and 4,882 participants in critical and non-critical conditions, respectively.

Results and conclusions:   
The investigators found the prevalence of neurological and musculoskeletal manifestations in patients with COVID-19 was:
35% for smell impairment [95% CI = 0% to 94%, I2 = 99.63%],
33% for taste impairment [95% CI = 0% to 91%, I2 = 99.58%],
19% for myalgia [95% CI = 16% to 23%, I2 = 95%],
12% for headache [95% CI = 9% to 15%, I2 = 93.12%],
10% for back pain [95% CI = 1% to 23%, I2 = 80.20%],
10% for dizziness [95% CI = 3% to 19%, I2 = 86.74%],
3% for acute cerebrovascular disease [95% CI = 1% to 5%, I2 = 0%] and
2% for impaired consciousness [95% CI = 1% to 2%, I2 = 0%].

The investigators concluded patients with COVID-19 present neurological and musculoskeletal symptoms, like headache, dizziness, impaired consciousness, acute cerebrovascular disease, ataxia, seizure, impaired taste sensation, impaired smell sensation, impaired vision, myalgia, back pain, muscle weakness, skeletal muscle injury, arthralgia and facial muscle pain. Their prevalence ranges from 1 to 35%. Therefore, delineating the whole spectrum of symptoms of the disease can help with early diagnosis, prevention of the spread of the disease and its treatment. In addition, it will help with the prevention of complications that may arise in the long term.

Original title:
Neurological and Musculoskeletal Features of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by Abdullahi A, Candan SA, […], Kundakci B.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7333777/

Additional information of El Mondo:
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