, Murat Mert Atmaca 1
, Sibel Karşıdağ 1
, Miruna Florentina Ateş 2
, Burcu Selbest 3
, Fettah Eren 4
, Sibel Güler 5
, Ugur Burak Simsek 1
, Mehmet Fatih Yetkin 6
, Merve Akçakoyunlu 6
, Elif Özge Biçer 7
, Soner Kılıç 8
, Şazimet Taş 7
, Zeynep Kocakaya 7
, Kevser Karasu 7
, Ufuk Yüksel 7
, Ayşegül Ulu Kılıç 9
, Zeynep Türe Yüce 9
, Nuri Tutar 10
, Burcu Baran Ketencioğlu 10
, Kürşat Gündoğan 7
, Şahin Temel 7
, Murad Al Hasan 6
, Şeyma Benli 6
, Çağla Eröz 6
, Ahmet Öztürk 11
, Füsun Ferda Erdoğan 6
2Department of Neurology, Maltepe University Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye
3Department of Neurology, Denizli State Hospital, Denizli, Türkiye
4Department of Neurology, Konya Research and Training Hospital, Konya, Türkiye
5Department of Neurology, Trakya University Faculty of Medicine, Edirne, Türkiye
6Department of Neurology, Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Türkiye
7Department of Internal Medicine Intensive Care, Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Türkiye
8Department of Neurology, Kayseri City Hospital, Kayseri, Türkiye
9Department of Infectious Diseases, Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Türkiye
10Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Türkiye
11Department of Biostatistics, Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Türkiye
Abstract
Objective: The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, responsible for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, originated in China and swiftly spread globally, resulting in significant mortality worldwide. We aimed to create an overview of the significant symptoms, clinical indicators, and concurrent comorbidities observed in COVID-19 patients that require hospitalization and neurology consultation, adversely affecting the severe course of the disease and leading to mortality.
Materials and Methods: We designed our study as a multicenter and cross-sectional survey, which was conducted with patients hospitalized in seven medical centers in Türkiye over six months.
Results: A cohort of 504 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were included in the study. In terms of the complaints at the time of admission, high fever (48%), cough (45%), sore throat (23%), and diarrhea (9%) were the most common symptoms expressed by the patients. The most commonly observed symptoms included myalgia (55%), headache (46%), loss of taste (46%), and loss of smell (39%). Furthermore, 68 patients (13.5%) within the cohort had a history of neurological diseases, distributed as follows: cerebrovascular attack (4%), migraine (2.8%), extrapyramidal disease (1.8%), dementia (1%), polyneuropathy (1%), epilepsy (0.6%), and demyelinating disease (0.6%). In the logistic regression analysis, key factors affecting mortality were identified as body mass index and age.
Conclusion: The most common complaints in COVID-19 patients were high fever and sore throat. Fatigue, myalgia, headache, loss of smell, and taste were the most common symptoms. Accompanying comorbid diseases increased the severity of COVID-19 disease. Advanced age and body mass index were effective factors on mortality.