(HealthDay)—Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is associated with a spectrum of neurological disorders, according to a study published online July 8 in Brain.

Ross W. Paterson, Ph.D., from the University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, and colleagues collected detailed clinical and paraclinical data from cases with COVID-19. Data were included from 43 : 29 were SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction positive, eight were probable, and six possible, according to World Health Organization criteria.

The researchers identified five major neurological categories: encephalopathies, inflammatory central nervous system (CNS) syndromes, , peripheral neurological disorders, and miscellaneous disorders that did not fit these categories (10, 12, eight, eight, and five patients, respectively). The patients with encephalopathies had delirium/psychosis and no distinct abnormalities on imaging or cerebrospinal fluid; nine of 10 made a full or partial recovery with supportive care only. The inflammatory CNS syndromes included encephalitis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, and isolated myelitis; 10 patients were treated with corticosteroids and three received intravenous immunoglobulin. One patient made a full recovery, 10 made a partial recovery, and one died. One of eight patients with ischemic strokes died. Seven of the eight patients with peripheral neurological disorders had Guillain-Barré syndrome and one had brachial plexopathy; six made a partial and ongoing recovery.

"Doctors need to be aware of possible neurological effects, as can improve patient outcomes," Paterson said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.