The Nervous System and COVID-19 symptoms
- Rachel Jin
- Jan 24, 2021
- 2 min read
By: Karen Omoregie
It was initially believed and proven that COVID-19 mainly affects one’s respiratory tract but researchers/scientists have lately discovered that there is a linkage/similarity with how the virus may influence the Nervous System.
Explanation:
The nervous system is implicated in all of the effects encountered by SARS-CoV-2 compromised individuals. Patients complain of headaches, muscle and joint pain, exhaustion, or lack of taste and smell, any of which can linger following infection from weeks to months. COVID-19 can also lead to encephalitis or stroke in serious cases. Many neuroinvasion pathways of SARS-CoV-2 are addressed and symptoms are identified that can be subdivided into central nervous system (CNS) manifestations (headache, dizziness, stroke, seizures etc.) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) manifestations (characteristic hyposmia, Guillain Barré syndrome, myalgia).
ACE2 Receptor and COVID:
On the surface of all kinds of cells, ACE2 is a protein. It is an enzyme that produces tiny proteins that then control functions in the cell by cutting the larger protein angiotensinogen. The SARS-CoV-2 virus attaches to ACE2 using the spike-like protein on its surface, like a key being inserted into a lock before cell entry and infection. For the virus that triggers COVID-19, ACE2 thus serves as a cellular gateway, a receptor.
Relationship between COVID-19, Olfactory nerves & Cranial nerves:
The relationship between them is mainly through and by the nervous system. There are some ways that the virus may have reached the brain. One way is through the nose since the olfactory nerves is the only cranial nerve exposed to the outside world. The associated neurons might act as carriers for the virus and infection of the olfactory neurons in the nose may actually serve as a connector that enables the virus to directly travel from the respiratory tract to the brain.
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