COLUMBUS, Ohio — Some people who have come down with the novel coronavirus lost their sense of taste and smell, suffered seizures even stroke.
These instances are thought to be rare, but researchers are working to find out for sure and The Ohio State University is taking the lead.
Researchers have launched a study to figure out if and how the nervous system is affected by COVID-19.
They will be exploring whether neurological symptoms are directly from the virus or a physiological response to the novel coronavirus.
Scientists from more than a hundred sites will gather data from 23 countries on every continent except Antarctica. The study has three phases or tiers.
The first will collect data from the global sites and review the outcomes.
The Ohio State University College of Nursing professor Molly McNett said the second tier examines severity.
“We’ve had some reports that symptoms can range from a loss or sense of taste or smell up to seizures coma or even strokes,” McNett said. “We don't know how often those more severe symptoms occur and if lots of people experience those or again if it's just a few isolated cases.”
The third phase will explore outcomes including how long do the symptoms last and do the symptoms impact a patient’s ability to return to their day to day routines.
McNett said she and her team are working to have the first round of results by the end of August.