Doctors confirm brain damage in Covid patients 

Doctors, who are treating Covid-19 patients, have expressed worry over the rising numbers of patients with serious mental health complications that put them at high risk of death.

Dr Bruce Kirenga, the director of Makerere University Lung Institute, who is treating Covid-19 patients at the Mulago National Referral Hospital, said 20 to 30 per cent of severe and critical cases admitted at the hospital are presenting with neurological complications manifested as mental illnesses. 

Dr Kirenga explained that the common neurological complications include cognitive impairment, seizures, confusion, movement disorders and stroke. 

“The numbers started increasing in the last three weeks and death rates tend to be higher among those patients with neurological complications. We are still investigating what could have triggered the increase,” he said yesterday.  

A study published in the journal Neurology: Clinical Practice in December 2020 by Dr Pria Anand, a neurologist at Boston University School of Medicine, however, linked the neurological complications to four causative factors.

“These [neurological] complications may result from direct invasion of the central nervous system by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, as post-infectious complications, or as a result of critical illness and systemic infections,” the study report reads. 

Dr Kirenga said the complications are adding more burden to doctors and increasing risk of death among the patients.  “Treating Covid-19 alone is hard, and yet someone with neurological complication needs very serious medical attention. The patients with the complication can pull out oxygen tubes they are relying on to breathe,” he said.

He said some of them start yelling and showing wild behaviours that force the doctor to sedate the patient so as to calm or make them sleep.

However, sedation, a medical procedure that involves administering a drug to cause sleep or calm someone, also worsens breathing difficulties caused by Covid-19 due to its effect of respiratory depression, increasing death risks, according to Dr Kirenga. 

As of January 5, a total of 290 virus deaths had been reported by the Ministry of Health. More than 120 Covid-19 patients with severe and critical illnesses are at Mulago Hospital, according to hospital management. 

Dr Richard Lukandwa of Medipal, one of the private health facilities treating Covid-19 patients, said they have also witnessed the neurological complication and increased problem of anxiety among Covid-19 patients.

“This is increasing the work that should be done to manage patients because you need psychologists in addition to medical specialists,” he said. 

Dr Stephen Obbo, the director of Lira Regional Referral Hospital, said they witnessed some cases among patients admitted but added that they are not many because of the low number of patients they handle. 

Dr Charles Olaro, the director of clinical services (curative) at Ministry of Health, said they are aware of the neurological complications and other emerging health effects of Covid-19,  adding that the ministry is making necessary adjustments to handle.

“Covid-19 is a new disease and not everything about it is known. We are experiencing episodes of diabetes, hypertension and now neurological complications,” Dr Olaro said.

“When we started the response, we didn’t have guidelines for some of these manifestations but our guidelines keep changing [as they come to our knowledge]. There is a need for new medication and services that should be provided. We need physiotherapists and psychologists to help people recover fully or have minimal residual effects,” he said.

There are also post Covid-19 manifestations such as dizziness, body weakness and loss of appetite among those that have recovered, according to  Dr Olaro.