Factors associated with neurological manifestations in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in a military hospital

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 is a disease that affects mainly the respiratory system but can affect other systems, including the nervous system. The factors associated with neurological manifestations in patients with COVID-19 infection have been described in multiple studies. However, associated factors have not been explored in the military population. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out based on information from the medical records of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 during the 2020–2021 period. The variable of interest in the present study was the neurological manifestations presented by the patients during the acute stage of the disease. The factors evaluated were sociodemographic and clinical variables. Generalized linear models of the Poisson family with robust variance were used, with which crude prevalence ratios (cPRs) and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) were calculated. Results: Neurological manifestations were present in 49.2% of the patients, with headache (29.8%), myalgia (23.4%), and anosmia (9.68%) being the most frequent. High blood pressure was associated with neurological manifestations. Similarly, older adult patients were 1.84 times more likely to present with neurological manifestations (PR: 1.84; 95% CI: 1.08-3.13). Conclusion: Hypertension and age greater than 60 years were associated with neurological manifestations. Longitudinal studies need to be conducted for possible causality.