CEREBROVASCULAR DISORDERS IN PATIENTS WITH COVID-19

Abstract

COVID−19 is an acute respiratory viral disease caused by the RNA virus of the SARS−CoV−2 (2019 nCoV) coronavirus family and can have both mild course in the form of acute respiratory viral infection and severe one with frequent complications such as pneumonia, thrombosis, cerebrovascular disorders and high mortality. Hypoxia of the brain and spinal cord is associated with impaired gas exchange in the pulmonary alveoli, progressive respiratory failure with subsequent decompensation of function and structural damage to all organs and systems. Neurological disorders in COVID−19, observed in almost a half of patients, can be divided into three groups: manifestations of the central nervous system, lesions of the peripheral nervous system, myopathy. In order to study the lesion of the nervous system in patients with COVID−19, a history of acute cerebrovascular disorders and clinical picture of stroke without the emergence of new foci in neuroimaging, three clinical cases were analyzed. All patients complained of speech impairment, disorientation in time and space, numbness and weakness in the extremities on the background of acute cerebrovascular accident in the anamnesis, accompanied by general weakness and fever to subfebrile figures. COVID−19 pneumonia was observed during computed tomography of the lungs. However, during neuroimaging new foci of infarction were not identified. Thus, given the lack of new foci of infarction during neuroimaging, lack of hypercoagulation and cardiac causes, it can be concluded that focal symptoms in patients with COVID−19 with a history of stroke cause hypoxia of brain cells in the area around the necrotic foci resulted from previous heart attacks. Key words: nervous system, lesions, COVID−19, coronaviruses, encephalopathy, hypoxia.