Neurological symptoms associated with COVID-19 based on a nation-wide online survey

ABSTRACT

Aim: There are no broad-scale data available on the presence of neurological symptoms in persons afflicted by COVID-19 in the Czech Republic. Therefore, our goal was to establish the incidence, frequency and duration of new neurological symptoms present in the adult population in the Czech Republic in connection with the COVID-19 disease. Methods: For this purpose, an online questionnaire Neurocovid was developed. The data presented were collected during the period of June 6–August 30, 2021. Results: The questionnaire was filled in by 1,012 individuals aged between 18–79 years (average age 45.6 ±12.88 years, median age 45 years, 65% female). Regional coverage of the Czech Republic mostly corresponded with the demographic distribution of the population. The most common new neurological symptoms that occurred in connection with COVID-19 were cognitive changes such as “slow thinking”, memory difficulties, lack of concentration, speech disorders and disorientation. About 70% of the participants reported at least one of these symptoms. Similar frequency was noted for sleep disorders which were present in more than 70% of the participants. Both groups of symptoms also had a higher tendency to persist long-term. Cognitive changes persisted for over 3 months in 46%, whereas sleep disorders in 72%. Another frequent neurological symptom was olfactory/gustatory dysfunction, which was observed by 67% of the participants. Other symptoms included vertigo (32%), tingling in the body/ limbs (27%), clumsiness/loss of stability while walking (20%), tinnitus (15%), issues with eyesight (14%), and tremor (13%). We did not find a correlation between the severity of the acute phase of the COVID-19 disease and the number or type of new neurological symptoms. Conclusion: This nation-wide online survey of a representative group of the Czech population confirmed a variety of neurological symptoms that occur in connection with COVID-19. The Neurocovid questionnaire should be distributed further to increase data quality and provide an insight into the long-term development of these symptoms.