The management of neurological disease during the COVID-19 pandemia

Abstract

In this current pandemic period, neurological disorders are the most devastating disease group among all disease groups considered which created the highest health burden for patients, their relatives, and healthcare workers which keeps increasing with aging world population. COVID-19 directly invades lungs, it also involves the nervous system. However, it is too early to know whether COVID-19 will have long-term impacts on patients with neurologic disease. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed people's daily routines, and it all happened in a short period. Neurologists are affected negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic in a few key ways, including: a reduced ability on admission or transfer of critically ill neurologic patients. During these exceptional times, a huge need arose for neurologists in the frontline and expected to be aware of and conscious for diagnosing neurological complications of COVID-19. In this process, the use of telemedicine (teleneurology) in the field of neurology is a significant approach to evaluate patients. Telemedicine has been used as a platform for rehabilitation, neurological examinations, neuropsychology and other specialty services. Management of neurological diseases such as Parkinson disease, multiple sclerosis, intracranial infections, epilepsy, dementia, headache, neuromuscular diseases, and stroke had been affected in this process. In this review article, the main goal is to discuss how the diagnosis, proper management of people with existing neurological disease during pandemia period.