Neuropathology of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed global health care systems under unprecedented strain but has, at the same time, provided a unique opportunity for pathologists to turn autopsy findings into directly actionable insights into patient care. The current data on the neuropathology of COVID-19 remains pr...

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Main Authors: Li-Chun Lin, Bailey Hollis, Marco M Hefti
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2022-01-01
Series:Indian Journal of Pathology and Microbiology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.ijpmonline.org/article.asp?issn=0377-4929;year=2022;volume=65;issue=5;spage=146;epage=152;aulast=Lin
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author Li-Chun Lin
Bailey Hollis
Marco M Hefti
author_facet Li-Chun Lin
Bailey Hollis
Marco M Hefti
author_sort Li-Chun Lin
collection DOAJ
description The COVID-19 pandemic has placed global health care systems under unprecedented strain but has, at the same time, provided a unique opportunity for pathologists to turn autopsy findings into directly actionable insights into patient care. The current data on the neuropathology of COVID-19 remains preliminary and is limited by the lack of suitable controls, but certain tentative conclusions can be drawn. SARS-CoV-2 can infect multiple cell types in the central nervous system and does so in a subset of patients, although the clinical significance of direct infections remains in the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) infections remains unclear. The best-described neuropathological manifestations of COVID-19 in the brain are variable patterns of neuroinflammation and vascular injury, although again, it remains unclear to what degree these findings are specifically due to COVID-19. There is also intriguing preliminary data to suggest a complex relationship between COVID-19 and neurodegeneration, with certain alleles that increase AD risk also increasing the risk of severe COVID-19, and conversely, the possibility that COVID-19 may increase the risk of neurodegenerative disease. The neuropathology of so-called “long-COVID” and the potential effects of COVID-19, or critical illness in general, on neurodegenerative disease remains unclear. There is thus an urgent need for long-term cohort studies of COVID-19 survivors, including brain donation, particularly in elderly patients, with careful recruitment of controls with similar non-COVID inflammatory illnesses.
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spelling doaj.art-4a0f758261084a7cb9c463f9717bf83a2022-12-22T02:46:49ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsIndian Journal of Pathology and Microbiology0377-49292022-01-0165514615210.4103/ijpm.ijpm_1103_21Neuropathology of COVID-19Li-Chun LinBailey HollisMarco M HeftiThe COVID-19 pandemic has placed global health care systems under unprecedented strain but has, at the same time, provided a unique opportunity for pathologists to turn autopsy findings into directly actionable insights into patient care. The current data on the neuropathology of COVID-19 remains preliminary and is limited by the lack of suitable controls, but certain tentative conclusions can be drawn. SARS-CoV-2 can infect multiple cell types in the central nervous system and does so in a subset of patients, although the clinical significance of direct infections remains in the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) infections remains unclear. The best-described neuropathological manifestations of COVID-19 in the brain are variable patterns of neuroinflammation and vascular injury, although again, it remains unclear to what degree these findings are specifically due to COVID-19. There is also intriguing preliminary data to suggest a complex relationship between COVID-19 and neurodegeneration, with certain alleles that increase AD risk also increasing the risk of severe COVID-19, and conversely, the possibility that COVID-19 may increase the risk of neurodegenerative disease. The neuropathology of so-called “long-COVID” and the potential effects of COVID-19, or critical illness in general, on neurodegenerative disease remains unclear. There is thus an urgent need for long-term cohort studies of COVID-19 survivors, including brain donation, particularly in elderly patients, with careful recruitment of controls with similar non-COVID inflammatory illnesses.http://www.ijpmonline.org/article.asp?issn=0377-4929;year=2022;volume=65;issue=5;spage=146;epage=152;aulast=Linautopsycovid 19neurologic manifestation
spellingShingle Li-Chun Lin
Bailey Hollis
Marco M Hefti
Neuropathology of COVID-19
Indian Journal of Pathology and Microbiology
autopsy
covid 19
neurologic manifestation
title Neuropathology of COVID-19
title_full Neuropathology of COVID-19
title_fullStr Neuropathology of COVID-19
title_full_unstemmed Neuropathology of COVID-19
title_short Neuropathology of COVID-19
title_sort neuropathology of covid 19
topic autopsy
covid 19
neurologic manifestation
url http://www.ijpmonline.org/article.asp?issn=0377-4929;year=2022;volume=65;issue=5;spage=146;epage=152;aulast=Lin
work_keys_str_mv AT lichunlin neuropathologyofcovid19
AT baileyhollis neuropathologyofcovid19
AT marcomhefti neuropathologyofcovid19