Neurological manifestations of long COVID: clinical aspects and impact on quality of life

Abstract

Recent studies indicate an extremely high prevalence of long-term neurological manifestations among COVID-19 survivors, with nearly a third of patients diagnosed with neurological or psychiatric disorders in the first 6 months after acute COVID-19. Unlike the acute neurological manifestations of COVID-19, the pathophysiological mechanisms of long COVID-19 remain poorly understood. Several studies have concluded that both the CNS and the PNS are involved in patients with long COVID. The most common neurological symptoms were fatigue, memory/attention deficits, sleep disturbances, and myalgias, with each symptom occurring in one third of patients with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. The impact of COVID-19 on patients, regardless of severity, extends beyond hospitalization for severe cases to continued deterioration in quality of life, mental health, and employment problems. Doctors' awareness of this condition, strict control of metabolic changes and risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, and effective and safe treatment of identified disorders are the main tasks in the management of patients with this pathology.