Encephalitis a rare, but serious post-COVID complication ; claims study

Written By : Dr Satabdi Saha |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2021-05-24T08:15:44+05:30 | Updated On 24 May 2021 10:58 AM IST

In a recent study, a team of researchers have found out that COVID-19 patients may encounter a rare but severe neurological complication of encephalitis. The findings have been put forth in European Journal of Neurology.

Although COVID-19 predominantly affects the respiratory system, recent studies have reported the occurrence of neurological disorders such as stroke, in relation to COVID-19 infection. Encephalitis is an inflammatory condition of the brain that has been described as a severe neurological complication of COVID-19. Despite a growing number of reported cases, encephalitis related to COVID-19 infection has not been adequately characterized. To address this gap, this systematic review and meta-analysis aims to describe the incidence, clinical course and outcomes of patients who suffer from encephalitis as a complication of COVID-19.

For the study design, all studies published between November 1, 2019 and October 24, 2020 that reported on patients who developed encephalitis as a complication of COVID-19 were included. Only cases with radiological and/or biochemical evidence of encephalitis were included.

Data analysis revealed the following facts.

In this study, 610 studies were screened and 23 studies reporting findings from 129,008 patients, including 138 with encephalitis, were included.
The average time from diagnosis of COVID-19 to onset of encephalitis is 14.5 days (Range: 10.8–18.2 days).
The average incidence of encephalitis as a complication of COVID-19 was 0.215% (95% CI: 0.056% to 0.441%).
The average mortality rate of encephalitis in COVID-19 patients was 13.4% (95% CI: 3.8% to 25.9%).
These patients also had deranged clinical parameters including raised serum inflammatory markers and CSF pleocytosis.

Observing the results, the team concluded "Although encephalitis is an uncommon complication of COVID-19, when present, it results in significant morbidity and mortality. Severely-ill COVID-19 patients are at higher risk of suffering from encephalitis as a complication of the infection."

For full article follow the link: https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.14913

Primary source: European Journal of Neurology

Encephalitiscomplication of COVID-19European Journal of Neurology

Source : European Journal of Neurology

Dr Satabdi Saha

Dr Satabdi Saha (BDS, MDS) is a practicing pediatric dentist with a keen interest in new medical researches and updates. She has completed her BDS from North Bengal Dental College ,Darjeeling. Then she went on to secure an ALL INDIA NEET PG rank and completed her MDS from the first dental college in the country – Dr R. Ahmed Dental College and Hospital. She is currently attached to The Marwari Relief Society Hospital as a consultant along with private practice of 2 years. She has published scientific papers in national and international journals. Her strong passion of sharing knowledge with the medical fraternity has motivated her to be a part of Medical Dialogues.

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751