Neurological Presentations in Patients with COVID-19 in Cytokine Storm


Tutal Gursoy G., Yuksel H., Mulkem Simsek I., Oral S., Erdogan Kucukdagli F., Karaman A., ...Daha Fazla

Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, cilt.50, sa.1, ss.89-95, 2023 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 50 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2023
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1017/cjn.2021.247
  • Dergi Adı: Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, EMBASE, Psycinfo
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.89-95
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: COVID-19, Cytokine storm, Neurological disorders, Altered level of consciousness, Interleukin-6
  • Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Abstract: Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection causes a wide variety of neurological disorders by affecting both central and peripheral nervous systems. The cytokine storm (CS) has been blamed for the development of severe neurological disorders in COVID-19. However, the relationship between COVID-19 CS and neurological manifestations has not been adequately studied. Thus, we aimed to investigate the neurological presentations in patients with COVID-19 CS. Methods: The study population consisted of hospitalized moderate-to-severe COVID-19 patients. It was divided into two groups CS (36 patients, 29.3%) and non-CS (87 patients, 70.7%) based on significant clinical symptoms, elevated inflammatory marker levels, radiological findings, and interleukin-6 levels (IL-6). Results: The three most common neurological symptoms in the CS group were altered level of consciousness, headache, and unsteadiness. Altered level of consciousness was higher in the CS group (69.4%) than the non-CS group (25.3%) (p:0.001). The frequency of headache was comparable in both groups (p:0.186). The number of patients requiring intensive care unit and intubation was higher in the CS group (p:0.005 and p:0.001). The mortality rate in the CS group (38.9%) was higher than the non-CS group (8.0%) (p:0.001). IL-6, CRP, ferritin, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, procalcitonin, and D-dimer levels were higher in the CS group (for all p:0.001) while lymphocyte count was lower (p:0.003). Conclusion: The most common neurological presentation in patients with CS was altered level of consciousness. The presence of CS was an independent risk factor for high mortality.