Originating in Wuhan, China, COVID-19 soon spread throughout the world and has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Italy was the second country to be hit as hard as China, with a total of 222,104 cases and 31,106 deaths (at time of publication).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A study was conducted to understand the characteristics of neurological symptoms and neuroimaging features of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals across Italy. This was a retrospective, multicenter study design. Three major institutions in Italy were included in the study: University of Brescia, Brescia, University of Eastern Piemonte, Novara and University of Sassari, Sassari.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Based on the inclusion criteria, 725 patients admitted to hospitals were reviewed, but only 108 patients actually met the criteria to be included in the study. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most common neurological symptoms <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Past medical history of patients <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Findings on Brain CT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The association between the age of the patient and the presence of altered mental status was statistically significant. The more aged the patient, the more prone they were to altered mental status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a strong need for neurologists and neuro-radiologists to better understand COVID-19-associated patterns in neuroimaging for better patient outcomes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Source: Radiology<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nTotal patients <\/td> 108<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td><\/tr> Examined with Non-Contrast Brain CT<\/td> 107<\/td> 99%<\/td> <\/td> <\/td><\/tr> Head & Neck CT angiography<\/td> 17<\/td> 16%<\/td> <\/td> <\/td><\/tr> Brain MRI<\/td> 20<\/td> 18%<\/td> <\/td> <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/td> Patients <\/td> Percentage<\/td><\/tr> Altered mental status <\/td> 64<\/td> 59%<\/td><\/tr> Ischemic stroke <\/td> 34<\/td> 31%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Patients with no known past medical history turned out to have the following symptoms Age range (16-62)<\/td> 31\/108<\/td> 29%<\/td> <\/td> Patients with known medical history had at least one of the following symptoms <\/td> 77\/108 <\/td> 71%<\/td><\/tr> Acute ischaemic infarcts <\/td> 10<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> Coronary artery disease <\/td> 25<\/td> 23%<\/td><\/tr> Intracranial haemorrhage <\/td> 2<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> Cerebrovascular disease <\/td> 15<\/td> 14%<\/td><\/tr> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> Hypertension<\/td> 55<\/td> 51%<\/td><\/tr> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> Diabetes <\/td> 30<\/td> 28%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/td> Patients <\/td> Percentage<\/td><\/tr> No acute findings <\/td> 71<\/td> 66%<\/td><\/tr> Acute abnormalities <\/td> 7<\/td> 35%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Summary of Results<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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