SARS-CoV-2 and neurology: characteristics of patients with Covid-19 affected by CVA

Abstract

Introduction: Since the beginning of the pandemic in December 2019, COVID-19 caused by the infection of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), in addition to the clinical manifestations already, can develop changes in the rate of blood clotting, where there are already notifications of Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA) associated with the virus. Objective: To know the characteristics of patients with COVID-19 affected by CVA, documented in the scientific literature. Method: A systematic literature review was carried out, using the MeSH Brower platform descriptors, namely: Stroke and Coronavirus, with an AND expression. The articles were searched in scientific databases: PubMed, MEDLINE Complete and SCIELO. 217 studies were found, of which 04 publications were included in this research. Results: Parallel studies on patient characteristics: elderly, male and comorbidities, such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and obesity, all risk factors for stroke. However, there were cases of young patients affected by CVA after the diagnosis of COVID-19. With regard to neurological changes, the researched articles state that most patients have symptoms such as deviation of the labial commissure on the right, dysarthria, aphasia, hemiplegia and hemianesthesia on the left. Conclusion: Although this incidence is not known, CVA is emerging as a complication of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this sense, further studies on the subject are necessary, since the elucidation of thrombotic mechanisms in patients with COVID- 19 can generate complications to prevent complications such as Cerebrovascular Accident.