Nigerian patients are experiencing neurological symptoms associated with long COVID, according to a recent study. The research was conducted by scientists from Northwestern Medicine in collaboration with the University of Lagos and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). This marks the first time such manifestations have been identified in Nigeria.
The study involved 2,319 participants, out of which 106 individuals (4.6%) reported long COVID with neurologic symptoms. Some participants continued to experience these symptoms up to two years after their initial COVID-19 infection. The findings revealed that those hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia reported neuro-long COVID symptoms more frequently than those who had mild cases and were not hospitalized (11.5% vs 3.9%).
The research has been published in the Journal of NeuroVirology and emphasizes the necessity for better screening, diagnosis, and treatment of neuro-long COVID in Nigeria.
Dr. Igor Koralnik from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine stated, “Based on this data, there is hopefully going to be some intervention to alleviate their suffering.” He highlighted the ability to conduct studies and diagnose patients even in resource-limited settings.
Key contributors from Nigeria include Dr. Njideka U. Okubadejo and Dr. Iorhen E. Akase from the University of Lagos and LUTH.
Koralnik noted that unlike Chicago where his team quickly began evaluating post-COVID neurologic symptoms through specialized clinics, awareness about long COVID remains low in Nigeria with few post-COVID clinics available during the pandemic's peak.
“This is why we have to start by doing the research to demonstrate the need for diagnosis and clinical care of these patients,” Koralnik explained.
Common neurologic symptoms identified among participants included memory issues or brain fog (59.4%), fatigue (55.7%), sleep problems (32%), headaches (31%), numbness or pins and needles sensation (11.3%), and muscle pain (9.4%). Among those evaluated for cognitive impairment using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, 16.9% showed signs consistent with mild cognitive impairment.
Future plans involve treating brain fog and cognitive dysfunction in Nigerian neuro-long COVID patients using techniques currently applied by Koralnik’s team in Chicago.
Despite vaccination efforts, COVID-19 persists globally with approximately 14 million adults experiencing long-term effects in the United States alone, impacting public health significantly.
Millenia Jimenez from Northwestern co-authored this study which received funding from Robert J. Havey MD Institute for Global Health at Northwestern under award number 1055.