Coronavirus manages to enter the brain

 

 "Coronavirus is capable of infecting neurons and astrocytes, American scientists have found. It is through astrocytes that the virus manages to enter the brain, which subsequently leads to various neurological disorders. As another group of researchers has established, SARS-CoV-2 is able to penetrate into the spinal cord, causing autoimmune damage leading to paralysis. 

But in addition to the brain, the spinal cord can also be affected, warn scientists from the Barrow Neurological Institute. SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to cause acute transverse myelitis, a rare and dangerous spinal cord injury that can lead to paralysis and death. 

 In total, the researchers counted 43 cases in adult patients in 21 countries, as well as 3 cases in children 3-14 years old. The complication resulted in paralysis of the limbs and other problems, including loss of bladder control. Three patients went blind, two died. 

“We found that myelitis is an unexpectedly frequent neurological complication of COVID-19,” the researchers write. "Most cases (68%) developed between 10 days and 6 weeks after infection, which may indicate post-infectious neurological complications mediated by the host's response to the virus.""