Neurological cases are rising among post-Covid patients

The Moolchand Hospital of Delhi has stated that they have witnessed a rise in neurological issues including brain haemorrhage among people who have recovered from Covid-19 disease. In an interview with PTI, the hospital officials said, “increasing cases of intracerebral (brain) haemorrhage and 50 per cent of the neuroscience department is filled with such cases”,

Dr Asha Bakshi, a senior neurosurgeon at Moolchand Hospital said, “Majority of these cases are those who have had Covid-19 infection in the past, with a gap of two to three months,” She also added that  37 per cent of the patients have symptoms, including headache, and 26 per cent of them faced the loss of smell or taste. She continued, “The most common neurological syndromes reported were acute encephalopathy (49 per cent), coma (17 per cent), and stroke (6 per cent). The presence of clinically captured neurologic signs or syndromes was associated with increased risk of in-hospital death,”

Bakshi further informed that the pandemic may be caused the shortage of immflamatory involving the lungs predominantly but has also led to some long-term neurological problems. Another hospital also said that 60 per cent of post-patients in its out-patient department (OPD) have reported having anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, feeling of loneliness, and that most of them are post-Covid cases.

Dr Bakshi further said to PTI, “Data from other surveys suggest that the picture is similar worldwide. In India, a study from Assam (Hazarika and colleagues) found that 46 per cent had anxiety, 22 per cent had some form of depression and five per cent had suicidal thoughts,”

“This needs to be addressed seriously especially when such a large populace is affected as it has a direct implication on our social fabric and more importantly on work-life and subsequent economic health of the nation,” Bakshi added.