Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is not primarily a neurotropic virus. However, since angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors are present in the brain, spinal cord, and nerves, the involvement of the nervous system, which could potentially influence the final outcome, cannot be ruled out. This study aimed to assess the incidence and significance of specific neurological manifestations and/or neurological disorders in critically ill COVID-19 patients treated in low-resource settings (LRS), as well as to determine their impact on the clinical outcomes of these patients. Subjects and methods: The research was designed as a retrospective observational study conducted between October 2020 and February 2021, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The incidence of specific neurological manifestations and/or neurological disorders in patients treated at the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) of the University Clinical Centre (UCC) of the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was monitored, and relevant demographic and clinical data were collected. The results were analyzed using methods from descriptive statistics and statistical testing. Results: Among the 262 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 154 (58.5%) exhibited at least one of the monitored neurological manifestations or neurological disorders. The most frequently observed were impaired consciousness (19.5%), headache (10.2%), myalgia (8%), loss of taste and smell (7.6%), lower back pain (3.4%), and ischemic cerebrovascular stroke (3.4%). All other recorded had an incidence of less than 2%. In terms of clinical outcomes, 128 patients (48.9%) died, 81 (30.9%) were transferred to a step-down unit, and 53 (20.2%) were discharged home. Using Fisher’s exact test, impaired consciousness was found to be significantly associated with a fatal outcome (p = 0.01
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Neurology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7172366450