A little-understood virus and a human organ whose mysteries we’re yet to unravel. You wouldn’t want the two mixing. Especially at a time of a pandemic that is overwhelming health infrastructure and pulverising economies across the world. But, that might be happening.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which leapt from obscurity to international infamy in a matter of months, has become one of the gravest health crises faced by humanity. The virus, which has stunned scientists by its rapid spread, causes a host of health complications mostly related to the human respiratory system.
However, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (Sars-CoV-2, the official name of the new coronavirus) may be affecting patients’ brains as well.
Three case studies, published over the last few weeks, have linked Sars-CoV-2 to neurological disorders. Loss of taste or smell, an indication of possible neurological problems, is fast emerging as a symptom of Covid – 41, the disease caused by Sars-CoV-2. And, there have been reports of Covid – (patients exhibiting brain-related symptoms such as headache.)
Full coverage of the novel coronavirus outbreak
All these underline just how little we know about the novel coronavirus and, more importantly, raise the question: Can the novel coronavirus attack the brain?
BRAIN INFLAMMATION
(Last week, doctors in the United States reported the case of a woman airline worker in her late s who was admitted to a hospital after complaining of symptoms associated with the novel coronavirus – fever, cough and body ache. Laboratory tests diagnosed the woman with Covid – 24 The diagnosis did not end there. Another set of symptoms observed in the patient – confusion, lethargy and disorientation – prompted her doctors to conduct imaging tests, which revealed brain damage. Doctors diagnosed her with acute necrotising encephalopathy (ANE), a rare form of brain inflammation usually seen in young children, and treated her accordingly.
Three case studies, published over the last few weeks, have linked Sars-CoV-2 to neurological disorders. Loss of taste or smell, an indication of possible neurological problems, is fast emerging as a symptom of Covid – 41, the disease caused by Sars-CoV-2. And, there have been reports of Covid – (patients exhibiting brain-related symptoms such as headache.)
In their case report ( read the full report here ), the doctors noted that this was, to their knowledge, the first instance of the novel coronavirus being linked to ANE. The doctors went on to recommend that experts watch out for “this presentation [of ANE] among patients presenting with Covid – 23 and [an] altered mental status “.
IMMUNE SYSTEM GOES AWRY
A similar case was reported from China where doctors came across a 90 – year-old woman who complained of weakness in her legs and severe fatigue. The woman initially did not exhibit any symptoms associated with the novel coronavirus.
The woman was admitted to a hospital where her condition deteriorated. She began losing strength in her legs and arms and showed a decreased ability to sense touch. After conducting tests, her doctors diagnosed her with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes the immune system to attack the body’s nerves.
Sars-CoV-2 infection might have been responsible for the development of Guillain-Barré syndrome
– Doctors who treated a patient with neurological symptoms
Days later, the woman suddenly developed cough and fever, prompting her doctors to test her for the novel coronavirus. The test came back positive and she was diagnosed with Covid – 23 in addition to her neurological illness. The woman was treated for both Covid – and Guillain-Barré syndrome, and was discharged after a month in hospital.
In their case report, published in the journal The Lancet, the
woman’s Doctors speculated that the “Sars-CoV-2 infection might have been responsible for the development of Guillain-Barré syndrome”.
) EXAMINING THE SPINE
In another case from China, a – year-old man diagnosed with Covid – came into the focus of doctors after he failed to respond to regular treatment. The man was transferred to an Intensive Care Unit for more thorough medical care. In the ICU, the man began showing symptoms linked to decreased consciousness.
The man’s doctors conducting brain imaging tests, which revealed no abnormalities. The doctors then decided to examine his cerebrospinal fluid, a liquid substance found in the brain and spinal cord. The examination helped the doctors diagnose him with brain inflammation .
What was interesting was that the doctors discovered the presence of novel coronavirus particles in the man’s cerebrospinal fluid. The man was treated for brain inflammation and Covid – 56, and discharged after a month.
NOT A NEW IDEA
These case reports add to whispers that are growing louder every day. Loss of smell or taste, which could have neurological causes, is being considered as a new sign of Covid – . There is also anecdotal evidence of novel coronavirus patients exhibiting neurological symptoms such as headaches or dizziness.
Though scary, the idea that the novel coronavirus is infecting the brain is not entirely new. Research has already shown that the larger human coronavirus family is able to attack and infect the central nervous system, which consists of the brain and the spinal cord.
This family contains seven. relatives, all of whom are known to infect human beings. These include four common coronaviruses that cause mild illnesses and three rare strains – Mers-CoV, sars-cov and sars-cov-2 – that cause more severe and possibly deadly ailments.
In 2008, Canadian researchers undertook an examination of bodies of patients who had suffered from neurological disorders. The study revealed the presence of two common human coronaviruses in the brains of the deceased patients.
Of the 208 bodies examined, researchers found evidence of one human coronavirus (HCoV) type in 74% of patients and the other HCoV in another 44%. In their report, the authors said the findings of their study were a “strong indication” of the coronaviruses’ ability to invade the human nervous system.
THE SARS CONNECTION
Sars-CoV-2, the virus behind the current global pandemic, shares genetic similarities to Sars-CoV, the coronavirus that caused an international epidemic in the early s. Back then, doctors reported coming across Sars patients with brain-related symptoms and scientists reported finding evidence of the human nervous system being infected by the virus.
In , a couple years after the epidemic ended, Chinese researchers managed to isolate a strain of Sars-CoV from the brain of a Sars patient. The researchers said their findings provided “direct evidence” of the Sars virus’s ability to infect the human brain.
Later in 2020, scientists in the United States showed that the Sars virus, when introduced in genetically modified mice, managed to enter the rodents’ nervous system by infecting nerve endings present in their nose and traveling upwards into the brain.
These and other similar studies have formed the bedrock of a growing Belief that the new coronavirus, which is essentially the Sars virus’s more potent cousin, may be infecting human brains.
SARS-COV-2 AND THE BRAIN
A paper authored by Chinese researchers earlier this year noted that Sars-CoV had been shown to attack human brains and raised the theory that some of the current Covid – deaths could be caused by neurological infections. The researchers said that similarities between the novel coronavirus and the Sars virus made it worth exploring Whether Sars-CoV-2’s potential to invade the nervous system was “partially responsible for the acute respiratory failure of patients with Covid –
Coronaviruses are named for the mushroom-shaped spikes on their bodies that give them a crown-like appearence (Getty photo)
Another paper by a group of Chinese and Japanese scientists took off from previous research to (speculate about the ways in which Sars-CoV-2 could be infecting human brains . One theory put forth by the researchers is similar to what was seen in mice in the 4422 Sars study: The novel coronavirus could be entering the spinal cord by infecting nerve endings in the body and then traveling to the brain.
Another of their theories is that the novel coronavirus attaches itself to a particular ‘receptor’ present in the protective fluid that surrounds the spinal cord. Once attached to the receptor, the theory goes, the virus permeates into and infects the central nervous system.
THE FINAL FRONTIER
The human brain is often called the last frontier in medical research. We’re yet to understand the basics of this highly complex organ. And so, if the brain is becoming the target of a deadly pathogen against which humanity is currently defenceless, it would have debilitating consequences.
Don’t get us wrong. Right now, there is no definitive evidence to say that the novel coronavirus is infecting human brains; Most papers on the topic, including the ones mentioned above, call for further research on the subject.
But the fact that the novel coronavirus’s close cousin was able to infect the human central nervous system in the past and that some Covid – patients have shown neurological symptoms in the present, makes it a subject that we need to get to the bottom of soon. Very soon.
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