Most People Hospitalized for COVID-19 Suffer Neurological Symptoms, Study Says

Neurological symptoms are extremely common among COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized, a new study said Monday.

According to Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, more than 80% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients experience neurological symptoms like head and muscle aches.

Other neurological symptoms include confusion and dizziness, noted Business Insider. The symptoms can range from mild to severe.

The study highlighted the wide range of symptoms COVID-19 can do to the body. More on than, the study found that patients can still have the symptoms well after recovering.

According to TIME, the symptoms don't just include damage to the nervous system. It also goes as far as organ damage, skin condition, and others.

The study's findings came on the same day President Donald Trump left the Walter Reed Military Medical Center. He is now staying at the White House and will receive care from there.

So far, his doctors have not disclosed any sign that Trump suffered from any of these symptoms.

What Are The Mild Symptoms?

A majority of 509 patients, or 82%, developed some problems linked to the nervous system.

Dr. Igor Koralnik, a co-author of the study, explained part of their findings. "That means four out of five hospitalized patients in our hospital system at the beginning of the pandemic had those neurologic problems," he said.

The most common symptoms were muscle pain, reported by nearly 44.8% of patients, and headaches, reported by 37.3%.

Loss of sense of smell and taste was complained about by 16% and 11% of patients, respectively.

Usually, patients had mild symptoms: attention problems, short-term memory, and altered concentration abilities. Koralnik added that mild symptoms could also go "all the way to confusion, stupor, and coma."

Dr. Alejandro Rabinstein, a neurologist at Mayo Clinic, told NBC News that it was a good sign. He said it confirms that the neurological problems are common but mild.

While he was not involved in the study, he provided some insights into the researchers' findings.

"Many patients in the hospital with COVID will have muscle aches, will have a loss of smell and taste," he said, noting that the symptoms were "reversible and benign."

How About Severe Symptoms?

The more severe symptoms appear to be more likely in older patients over 65 years old.

Only a third of the patients developed a severe neurological problem: encephalopathy. This is better known as altered brain function or structure.

This problem is often linked with an increased risk of more complications or even death.

Patients who experience this tend to be male, about 65 years old, and enter the hospital soon after symptoms set in.

COVID-19 "long-haulers" commonly report brain fog, memory loss, dizziness, and difficulty concentrating. The term "long-haulers" was a term adopted by patients who have been sick for months.

Studies outside the U.S. appear to have the same findings on the neurologic symptoms.

It also appears that symptoms don't come out due to being hospitalized. The virus itself causes the symptoms.

Forty-two percent of the patients who took part in the study had the problems when they first got sick.

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