Post-COVID-19 prolonged neurological symptoms and characteristics: A face-to-face survey study

Background: COVID-19 was declared as a pandemic by World Health Organization on March 11, 2020, and still constitutes a serious health problem affecting millions of people across the world. The evaluation and follow-up of ongoing and/or newly developing neurological involvement after recovery from COVID-19 are important. This study aims to reveal post-COVID-19 neurological symptoms and risk factors for their development.
Methods: Patients over the age of 18 years who applied to centers, at least 4 weeks after COVID-19 infection and agreed to participate in the study were included in this cross-sectional study between January 20 and March 15, 2021. The patients were evaluated face to face, and their sociodemographic data, medical history, post-COVID-19 neurological symptoms, treatments, and Beck Depression Inventory scores were recorded. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 23 for Windows software package (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL).
Results: Four hundred patients were included in this study, an average of 108+5.12 days had passed after the onset of COVID-19. The rate of post-COVID-19 neurological involvement was 73.3%, and the top 3 most common symptoms were headache (47%), myalgia (43%), and sleep disturbance (39%). Having depression (OR: 4.54, 95% Cl :1.88-10.96), female gender (OR:2.18, 95% Cl :1.36-3.49), hospitalization (OR: 2.01, 95% Cl :103-3.64), and usage of favipiravir (OR:2.07 95 Cl :1.15-3.72) were determined as independent predictors of developing prolonged neurological symptoms.
Conclusion: The long-term consequences of COVID-19 remain uncertain. It should be remembered that neurological symptoms are very common in post-infectious patients and long-term follow-up may be required in the management of this condition.