I was asked to comment for a Medscape article regarding a recent report of 3 patients with COVID-19 and encephalitis. One of the patients died. Luckily, COVID-19 associated encephalitis seems rare given that millions of people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 worldwide and reports of encephalitis are few. Whether COVID-19 encephalitis is a direct or indirect effect of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is not yet clear.
Many neurologic complications have been described in COVID-19+ patients. Neurologic disorders such as encephalitis or stroke may result in significant morbidity or even mortality. Much more needs to be learned about their incidence, manifestations, and treatment.
#COVID19 #SARS-CoV-2 #encephalitis