The Southampton Clinical and Experimental Neurology Team are co-leading a national surveillance effort to monitor the neurological complications of COVID-19 (CoroNerve Studies Group). Together with colleagues in the Universities of Liverpool and Newcastle and University College London, a diverse range of physician specialist associations UK-wide, and hundreds of case notifiers, we are studying the neurological and neuropsychiatric sequelae of COVID-19.
National rapid case notification study
We are helping interpret patterns of neurological COVID-19 cases reported by physicians to their specialist associations. A clear pattern is emerging of a wide spectrum of neurological involvement, and we have published our findings in Lancet Psychiatry. In addition to conventional autoimmune post-infectious syndromes affecting central and peripheral nervous systems, a number of para-infectious and post-infectious neurological syndromes are being encountered including cerebrovascular disease syndromes and altered mental states. These require further detailed clinical phenotyping.
Deep phenotyping
In collaboration with reporting physicians, rapid case notification is being followed by analysis of detailed demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiological, treatment modalities and outcome data. The aim is to differentiate causality from association, recognize patterns in neurological syndromes, identify risk factors for neurological involvement during COVID-19, establish prognostic factors for long-term clinical outcome and inform refinement of acute clinical care protocols. In collaboration with the Clinical Informatics Research Unit (CIRU), based within the Faculty of Medicine, a national Case Report Form has been developed and hosted on the ALEA platform. Our findings have been published in Brain Communications.
Prevention
In collaboration with ISARIC-4C, we are investigating the efficacy of dexamethasone and remdesivir in preventing neurological complications of COVID-19.