A leading private hospital in Delhi has reported a “troubling rise” in neurological issues, including brain haemorrhage, among people who have recovered from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). According to news agency PTI, the Moolchand Hospital said in a statement on Saturday that it has been recording “increasing cases of intracerebral (brain) haemorrhage, with 50% of the neuroscience department filled with such cases.”
“Majority of these cases are those who have had Covid-19 infection in the past, with a gap of two to three months,” Dr Asha Bakshi, a senior neurosurgeon at Moolchand Hospital, said adding that 37 per cent of the patients reported symptoms, including headache, and 26 per cent of them faced the loss of smell or taste.
“The most common neurological syndromes reported were acute encephalopathy (49 per cent), coma (17 per cent), and stroke (6 per cent). Presence of clinically captured neurologic signs or syndromes was associated with increased risk of in-hospital death,” Dr Asha Bakshi said.
According to Bakshi, the pandemic has caused not only acute inflammatory illness, primarily affecting the lungs, but also some long-term neurological issues.
In a statement, the Moolchand Hospital also stated that up to 60% of patients in its out-patient department (OPD) have reported increased mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and feelings of loneliness, with the majority of these cases being post-Covid.
Doctors also said that those who contracted Covid-19 and survived the coronavirus pandemic are presenting to the hospital with symptoms such as headaches, giddiness, fatigue, cognitive difficulties, memory problems, anxiety, depression, stroke, pain, and sleep disorders weeks after contracting the virus.
“Data from other surveys suggest that the picture is similar worldwide. In India, a study from Assam (Hazarika and colleagues) found that 46 per cent had anxiety, 22 per cent had some form of depression and five per cent had suicidal thoughts,” Bakshi said, according to PTI.
“This needs to be addressed seriously especially when such a large populace is affected as it has a direct implication on our social fabric and more importantly on work-life and subsequent economic health of the nation,” Bakshi added.
Another hospital said it had received 15-20 cases of neurological conditions in people who recovered from Covid-19 in the last two to four weeks.
“The most common condition we have seen are migrainous headaches and post-Covid encephalopathy apart from proximal myopathy. The other rarer conditions included Guillain-Barré syndrome,” Dr Madhukar Bhardwaj, a neurologist at Aakash Healthcare Super Speciality Hospital, was quoted as saying by PTI.
“Typically, the headaches are migrainous in character, present in younger age group and do not respond that well to common medications used for common migraine,” Dr Bhardwaj said adding that people are seeking treatment for these neurological conditions after one-two months of recovering from Covid-19.
