Demographic characteristics and neurological comorbidity of patients with COVID-19

SUMMARY ABSTRACT The COVID-19 infection that started in the Wuhan Province of the People's Republic of China and has now spread throughout the world is not limited to the respiratory system, but also causes other systemic symptoms through viremia. Recent data show that the central and peripheral nervous system involvement is particularly substantial. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the current neurological comorbidities and symptoms of patients with COVID-19 who were followed up by our clinic physicians.

RESUMO RESUMO A infecção de COVID-19 que começou na província de Wuhan, na República Popular da China, e já se espalhou por todo o mundo não se limita ao sistema respiratório, mas também causa outros sintomas sistêmicos através de viremia. Dados recentes mostram que seus efeitos no sistema nervoso central e periférico são particularmente significativos. Assim, o presente estudo tem como objetivo investigar as atuais comorbidades e sintomas neurológicos de pacientes com COVID-19 que foram acompanhados pelos médicos da nossa clínica.

Frequency of cardiovascular diseases in the patients with restless legs syndrome

Background: Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a sensory-motor neurological disease characterized by discomfort, unpleasant sensations, an urge to move the legs. There are a lot of studies showing the association between Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD), Hypertension (HT) and Body Mass Index (BMI). The potential underlying mechanism of an increased risk of CVD in RLS is not clear but may involve hypertension, as Periodic Limb Movements during Sleep (PLMS) were shown to be related to blood pressure increases. These studies were inconsistent. The aim of this case control study was to show the prevalence of CVD in the patients with RLS compared with a control group.Methods: A total of 37 newly diagnosed patients with RLS (group 1) who were applied to neurology polyclinic of Sakarya University Hospital between March 2016 and May 2017 and 37 control subjects (group 2) were included in this case control study. RLS was diagnosed using the criteria of the International RLS Study Group. Both groups were screened for HT, dyslipidemia, coronary artery diseases, atrial fibrillation. 24hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) were enrolled for both groups. Interventricular septum was measured with echocardiography by cardiologist for diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy.Results: There were no significant differences in sex (p:0.11) and age (p:0.33) between the two groups. Hypertension (p:0.001) and non-dipper hypertension (p:0.004), BMI (p:0.004), left ventricular hypertrophy (p:0,002) were found statistically significantly higher than the control group. There were no differences in atrial fibrillation (p:1) and hyperlipidemia (p:0.69) between two groups.Conclusions: Patients with RLS should be followed closely for cardiovascular diseases.