May 4 (UPI) -- More than one in 10 people hospitalized with COVID-19 develop "serious" neurological symptoms, a study published Wednesday found.
About 13% of patients hospitalized due to the virus experienced neurological, or brain- and nervous system-related, symptoms, including strokes and seizures, data published Wednesday by the journal Critical Care Explorations showed.
The most common brain-related COVID-19 complication was encephalopathy, or brain damage that causes a decline in cognitive function, which occurred in 10% of hospitalized patients, the researchers said.
"Our findings show that encephalopathy at hospital admission is present in at least one in 10 patients with [COVID-19] infection," study co-author Dr. Anna Cervantes-Arslanian said in a press release.
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"Stroke, seizures and meningitis and/or encephalitis were much less common," said Cervantes-Arslanian, an associate professor of neurology, neurosurgery and medicine at Boston University.
The findings are based on an analysis of medical records for more than 16,000 patients from 179 hospitals in 24 countries sickened during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nearly 13% of patients admitted to hospitals included in the study for COVID-19 in the first year of the pandemic developed serious neurological problems, the data showed.
Just over 10% had encephalopathy, or any disease of the brain that alters brain function or structure, at hospital admission, while 2% had evidence of a stroke, the researchers said.
About 2% suffered from seizures related to the virus while just under 1% had meningitis, or inflammation in the membranes that protect the brain and spinal cord, or encephalitis, or inflammation in the brain, at admission or during hospitalization, according to the researchers.
Patients who experienced neurological complications with COVID-19 were at higher risk for severe illness from the virus, including the need for intensive care unit treatment and ventilator support to maintain breathing, as well as longer hospital stays, the researchers said.
They also were more likely to die from the virus, the data showed.
A history of stroke or neurological disorders increased patients' risk for brain complications related to COVID-19, the researchers said.
Black patients with COVID-19 were more likely to suffer strokes, seizures and/or encephalopathy compared with White patients, according to the researchers.
Previous studies have shown that even in mild cases the virus causes inflammation in multiple organ systems, including the brain and nervous system, leading to problems with organ function.
"Given the association of neurologic manifestations with poorer outcomes, further study is desperately needed to understand why these differences occur and what can be done to intervene," Cervantes said.
