Neurological manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 - a controversy “gone viral”

Abstract

Abstract Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) first appeared in December 2019 in Wuhan, China and developed into a worldwide pandemic within the following three months causing severe bilateral pneumonia (Coronavirus disease 2019; COVID-19) with in part fatal outcomes. After first experiences and tentative strategies to face this new disease, several cases were published describing SARS-CoV-2 infection related to the onset of neurological complaints and diseases such as, for instance, anosmia, stroke or meningoencephalitis. Of note, there is still a controversy about whether or not there is a causative relation between SARS-CoV-2 and these neurological conditions. Other concerns, however, seem to be relevant as well. This includes not only the reluctance of patients with acute neurological complaints to report to the emergency department for fear of contracting SARS-CoV-2 but also the ethical and practical implications for neurology patients in everyday clinical routine. This paper aims to provide an overview of the currently available evidence for the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in the central and peripheral nervous system and the neurological diseases potentially involving this virus.