Introduction:

Several studies describing different neurological manifestations in patients with COVID-19 were published during the first six months of the pandemic.

Objective:

To collect and synthesize the scientific evidence published within the first six months after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic on neurological manifestations in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, as well as their prevalence and variations in specific populations.

Materials and methods:

A literature search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE using the following search strategy: types of study: any study describing neurological manifestations in COVID-19 patients; publication period: March 11-August 31, 2020; publication language: English; search terms and search equation: (("COVID-19") AND "Neurologic Manifestations").

Results:

The initial search yielded 388 records, of which 79 met the eligibility criteria and were included for full analysis. Most studies were case reports (50.63% individual case reports and 18.99% case series), while only 30.38% were analytical studies, with cross-sectional studies being the most common (n=25). The most frequently described neurological manifestation was smell and/or taste disorder (43.04%), followed by peripheral neuropathy (20.25%), seizures (8.86%), encephalitis (7.59%), and delirium (5.06%). Other manifestations reported to a lesser extent included headache, myositis, stroke, and transverse myelitis.

Conclusion:

Most neurological manifestations reported have a favorable progress, occur in young patients without any comorbidity, and are unrelated to the severity of the disease. Other manifestations such as delirium and epileptic seizures occur more frequently in people with a history of dementia or epilepsy, respectively. Finally, some manifestations such as Guillain-Barré syndrome and stroke may cause several sequelae.

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