brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Brain Dysfunction Related to COVID 19
Introduction
 COVID-19 causes mainly cold and flu-like symptoms (such as fever, cough, chills, sore throat), but unlike most colds, COVID-19 can cause loss of taste and smell. However, COVID-19 sometimes affects many parts of the body and can cause many other symptoms. It can affect the brain and nerves, causing Neurologic and psychologic symptoms may occur when people are first infected with COVID-19, while people are recovering, and/or after people have recovered from the initial infection. People who become critically ill with COVID-19 can, as with other infections, develop delirium and become agitated or drowsy. After recovering from the initial infection with COVID-19, many people have at least one persistent symptom, such as fatigue, impaired memory and cognition, headache, numbness and tingling, and/or loss of smell. Doctors may do magnetic resonance imaging to check for changes in the brain and do blood and urine tests to rule out other disorders that can cause similar symptoms. The main treatment for neurologic and psychologic symptoms is supportive care, but for people with depression, antidepressants may be useful. Neurologic and psychologic symptoms may last a long time—for many weeks to months. Symptoms that occur during the first 4 weeks after the initial infection are called acute COVID-19. Symptoms that last longer or recur after a period of feeling well and then continue are commonly called long COVID (also referred to as chronic COVID). How the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) causes neurologic and psychologic symptoms is unclear. These symptoms may result from The infection itself Problems that are common during severe illness or that result from Problems Due to Hospitalization , particularly in an intensive care unit (ICU) An autoimmune reaction—when the immune system malfunctions and attacks its own tissues—triggered by the virus For example, if COVID-19 (or any respiratory illness) is severe, it may reduce the level of oxygen in the blood. If the oxygen level is very low, the brain may not get enough oxygen and may malfunction, causing problems with thinking, memory loss, personality changes, difficulty walking, and lack of coordination. Risk factors for developing neurologic and psychologic symptoms (such as Delirium and agitation) due to COVID-19 include Being critically ill, especially if treatment in an Confusion and Mental Decline Due to Hospitalization is required Being older Having another disorder such as Overview of Stroke , In an Confusion and Mental Decline Due to Hospitalization , people are easily disoriented and confused. They are often alone and frightened in a strange place without familiar landmarks and usual routines. There are often no windows or clocks, and they have none of their possessions to help orient them. Older people, whether they have dementia or not, are particularly affected when they are taken out of their usual environment and do not have the support of family and friends. People in an ICU tend to be drowsy because they are often given sedatives and their sleep is constantly interrupted by beeping monitors and by staff members checking on them, taking blood, and giving them drugs. People who are tired are more easily confused, sometimes leading to 