The coronavirus may be linked to neurological symptoms such as muscle pain, experts have claimed. According to Earth.com latest news report, researchers at Northwestern University discovered that the novel coronavirus threatens the entire nervous system. They discovered this after reviewing published studies on the neurological symptoms of COVID-19 patients.
The experts claimed that the first sign of coronavirus infection that can appear before respiratory symptoms can be neurological symptoms. Half of the hospitalized COVID-19 patients involved in the study had neurological symptoms including muscle pain, headache, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, mental confusion, lack of tasted and smell, weakness, strokes, and seizures.
"It's important for the general public and physicians to be aware of this, because a SARS-COV-2 infection may present with neurologic symptoms initially, before any fever, cough or respiratory problems occur," said Dr. Koralnik, a professor of Neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the lead author of the study.
The connection between neurological dysfunction and the coronavirus
The journal Annals of Neurology published the results of the study on Thursday, June 11. According to the researchers, the entire nervous system including the spinal cord, brain, and muscles can possibly be affected by COVID-19.
Dr. Koralnik explained that neurological dysfunction can be caused by the novel coronavirus in many different ways such as directly infecting the meninges and brain, as well as causing inflammation in the body's immune system that can damage the nerves and the brain.
Meanwhile, scientists have also claimed that a polio vaccine can be used to provide temporary protection from COVID-19 infection. According to NBC News' latest report, several scientists in the field of virology in the United States, are turning their attention to the oral poliovirus vaccine. Dr. Rober Gallo, one of the scientists who discovered HIV, is one of them.
The Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) said that the polio vaccine is still used in other countries where the poliovirus is still circulating. Although the vaccine hasn't been licensed or available in the United States since 2000. A polio vaccine uses a weakened form of the live virus.
The study explained that live vaccines, such as the polio vaccine, help the body fight off invaders until the immune system has time to develop specific antibodies by triggering a general response of the immune system.
Scientists theorized the polio vaccine can temporarily boost the immune system by providing protection from viruses it was not designed to fight such as coronavirus, as claimed by Dr. Konstantin Chumakov, a co-author of the Science piece and a member of an international coalition of virologists aimed at preventing and eradicating virus disease called Global Virus Network.
