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Neurological symptoms and neuronal damage markers in acute COVID 19: is there a correlation? A pilot study.

OBJECTIVE
A wide spectrum of neurological symptoms (NS) has been described in patients with COVID-19. We examined the plasma levels of neuron spesific enolase (NSE) and neurofilament light chain (NFL) together, as neuronal damage markers, and their relationships with clinical severity in patients with NS at acute COVID-19.


METHODS
A total of 20 healthy controls and 59 patients with confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled in this pilot prospective study. Serum NSE and NFL levels were measured by using enzymle linked immunoassay method from serum samples.


RESULTS
Serum NSE levels were found to be significantly higher in the severe group than in the non-severe group (p=0.034). However, serum NFL levels were similar between control and disease groups (p>0.05). For mild group, serum NFL levels were significantly higher in patients with the sampling time ≥ 5 days than in those with the sampling time < 5 days (p=0.019). However, no significant results for NSE and NFL were obtained in patients with either single or multiple NS across the groups (p>0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Increased serum NSE levels were associated with disease severity regardless of accompanied NS in patients with acute COVID-19 infection. However, serum NFL levels may have a role at the subacute phase of COVID-19. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.