Omid Hesami - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Omid Hesami

Journal of Neurology and Neuroscience, 2017

Background: Migraine affects about 16% of the worldwide population. The pathogenesis of the disea... more Background: Migraine affects about 16% of the worldwide population. The pathogenesis of the disease consists of a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Given that, according to different polymorphism studies, ethnicity has a role in the gene diversity of migraine, this study was designed to determine the role of MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism in people from Tehran, Iran, who suffer from migraine headaches. Materials and methods: In this case control study, we determined the prevalence of common MTHFR C677T polymorphism in 132 migraine patients in line with IHS criteria (37 migraine patients with aura and 95 migraine patients without aura) and compared it to that in 142 matched healthy controls. The correlation between migraine and genotype was investigated using the chi-square test. The Bonferroni adjusted P-value was also used for pairwise comparison. Results: Our findings demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the frequencies of the TT genotype or T al...

Which Stroke Patients are Suitable for Endovascular Treatment in Emergency Department

Iranian journal of emergency medicine, 2018

Stroke makes up a significant part of causes for emergency department (ED) visits. This complicat... more Stroke makes up a significant part of causes for emergency department (ED) visits. This complication can be accompanied by a desirable outcome in case of rapid diagnosis and proper treatment intervention. However, in case of delay in treatment, it will bring about many costs for the individual, his or her family and the health care system. Therefore, timely diagnosis is the first and major step in managing these patients in ED and after that, choosing the proper treatment method is the priority. Currently, various treatment methods are available for managing these patients, from palliative care to thrombolytic therapy and endovascular interventions and one of the major questions in treatment of acute brain stroke in ED is which patient is suitable for receiving which treatment? Endovascular intervention is a relatively new treatment method that can extract the blood clot from the brain vessels and various studies have shown that it is one of the most effective treatment intervention...

International Clinical Neuroscience Journal, 2017

A novel type of brainstem-predominant encephalomyelitis was first described as chronic lymphocyti... more A novel type of brainstem-predominant encephalomyelitis was first described as chronic lymphocytic inflammation with pontine perivascular enhancement responsive to steroids (CLIPPERS) in 2010 by Pittocket al and then few additional patients were reported. Here we report a 50-year-old Iranian male who presented with a number of clinical features described as typical for CLIPPERS. The association of typical clinical presentation and typical MR imaging could be sufficient for a reliable diagnosis of CLIPPERS.

Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Benign MS in Compare with Non-Benign MS

Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders

Stroke Research and Treatment

Introduction. Vitamin D insufficiency is highly prevalent and is a negative predictor for surviva... more Introduction. Vitamin D insufficiency is highly prevalent and is a negative predictor for survival in ischemic stroke patients. We evaluated the effect of a high dose of vitamin D3 on the Neuron-Specific Enolase (NSE) level, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and Barthel Index (BI) scoring system in moderate ischemic stroke patients. Methods. This prospective, double-blind, randomized clinical trial (RCT) study was conducted from April 2020 to March 2021. Patients with moderate ischemic stroke (NIHSS 5 to 15) who had vitamin D deficiency (serum 25-OH vitamin D ≤30 ng/mL) were recruited and randomized into intervention and control groups. Subjects in the intervention group received a single dose, intramuscular (IM) injection of 600000 international unit (IU) vitamin D3, in addition to the standard treatment. NSE level and NIHSS were evaluated at baseline and 48 hours after the intervention. The BI was monitored three months after discharge. Results. During the study p...

Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Dorema Ammoniacum and Ferula Persica oleo-gum Resins Combination Product On Seizure Control In Epileptic Patients: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study

Journal of Complementary Medicine Research, 2022

Stroke makes up a significant part of causes for emergency department (ED) visits. This complicat... more Stroke makes up a significant part of causes for emergency department (ED) visits. This complication can be accompanied by a desirable outcome in case of rapid diagnosis and proper treatment intervention. However, in case of delay in treatment, it will bring about many costs for the individual, his or her family and the health care system. Therefore, timely diagnosis is the first and major step in managing these patients in ED and after that, choosing the proper treatment method is the priority. Currently, various treatment methods are available for managing these patients, from palliative care to thrombolytic therapy and endovascular interventions and one of the major questions in treatment of acute brain stroke in ED is which patient is suitable for receiving which treatment? Endovascular intervention is a relatively new treatment method that can extract the blood clot from the brain vessels and various studies have shown that it is one of the most effective treatment intervention...

Introduction: Recent studies have highlighted the effect of emotional states on cognitive process... more Introduction: Recent studies have highlighted the effect of emotional states on cognitive processes. Humans cannot distinguish between different types of emotions, which justify various effects of different emotions on humans. Emotions can lead to loss of function and may have negative effects on daily lives (e.g. test anxiety). Given the cognitive distortion induced by emotional stimuli and environmental events, the present study aimed to compare the effect of arousal induced by positive and negative emotional stimuli on memory and learning function of medical students.Methods and results: This was a semi-experimental study. The sample size was determined as 46. A convenient non-probability sampling was used to select from all students majoring in neurology and psychiatry. The students were randomly divided into two groups. The first group was exposed to positive emotional stimuli and the second group was exposed to negative emotional stimuli. Memory function or involvement was ass...

Evaluation of Efficacy of Neuro Muscular Electrical Stimulation and Electro Acupuncture in Improving the Pain and Disability in Patients with the Lumbar Degenerative Intervertebral Disk Disease

Background: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) due to the degenerative intervertebral disk diseases is ... more Background: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) due to the degenerative intervertebral disk diseases is one of the most common musculoskeletal conditions in contemporary societies. A variety of pharmacological, non-pharmacological and surgical options is available for treatment of CLBP. The use of non-pharmacological methods have drastically increased in recent years, offering fewer complications and expenses. This study was conducted to compare the efficacy of the neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and electro acupuncture (EAP) with exercise therapy alone in patients with chronic low back pain. Materials and Methods: This was a randomized case-controlled clinical trial. Sixty patients with CLBP were randomly assigned to 3 groups (20 cases each) of the EAP with exercise therapy, NMES with exercise therapy, and exercise therapy only. Severity of pain and disability improvement were assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) and Quebec back pain disability scale respectively. Results: A total of 66 individuals were enrolled, out of which 6 were excluded due to patients' lack of cooperation. A significant decline in the amounts of Quebec and VAS was observed in the three groups (p<0.001). The pain and disability improvements did not display any significant difference in the NMES or EAP groups compared to the control group. However, the severity of disability and pain in the NMES group were significantly higher than the EAP group (p<0.05). Conclusion: These findings may indicate an almost identical efficacy of exercise therapy alone compared to the combination with electrical stimulation techniques in improving the pain and disability in patients suffering CLBP.

International Journal of Stroke, 2020

Objective The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has affected healthcare systems around the globe ... more Objective The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has affected healthcare systems around the globe and massively impacted patients with various non-infectious, life-threatening conditions. Stroke is a major neurological disease contributing to death and disability worldwide, and is still an ongoing issue during the pandemic. Here we investigate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak on stroke manifestations, treatment courses, the outcome of stroke patients, and the hospitalization rate in a referral center for stroke management in Tehran, Iran. Methods We extracted data regarding 31 stroke patients (10 patients with laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease 2019) and compared the demographic and pathological characteristics of the patients with or without coronavirus disease 2019 infection. The association of demographic/pathological characteristics of stroke patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and a corresponding period during the previous year (49 pati...

Electronic Physician, 2018

Background and aim: Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder in pregnancy, which is associated ... more Background and aim: Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder in pregnancy, which is associated with increased maternal and fetal adverse outcomes. This study aimed to explore the reproductive healthcare needs of women with epilepsy before, during and after childbirth. Methods: This was a qualitative study using a content analysis method. The study population was marital women with epilepsy in reproductive age (15-45 years) referred to Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Participants were 16 women chosen using purposive sampling with the consideration of maximum variation in sampling. Semi-structured interviews were held with the participants until data saturation was reached. The data were analyzed using the content analysis method. The MAXQDA software, version 2010, was used for the management of data. Results: The data analysis led to the development of two categories. The first one is named 'resilience against threats to safe pregnancy' and has the following subcategories: (1) real physical complications and perceived (mental) conditions due to unwanted pregnancies, (2) the predisposing factors of anxiety related to safe pregnancy, (3) perceived consequences of pregnancy', and (4) the approach to encounter perceived consequences of pregnancy. The second category is called 'adverse experiences under inefficient supportive systems' and has the following subcategories: (1) the insufficiency of reproductive healthcare services for women with epilepsy, (2) doubt about the advantages and disadvantages of breastfeeding, (3) stigma as a block to the treatment of the postpartum depression, and (4) playing the motherhood role under the shadow of self-esteem to lack of selfesteem. Conclusion: In the prenatal, natal and postnatal duration, because of supportive system disruption and not receiving proper consultation, participants were often worried about not being able to get favorable conditions for safe pregnancy and controlling process of their pregnancy. Therefore, they often experienced unwanted pregnancy. They were also concerned about the adverse fetal outcomes. In postpartum period, they often experienced postpartum depression and were very doubtful about breastfeeding.

Mild (140 to 159/90 to 99 mmHg) or moderate (160 to 179/100 to 109 mmHg) chronic arterial hyperte... more Mild (140 to 159/90 to 99 mmHg) or moderate (160 to 179/100 to 109 mmHg) chronic arterial hypertension does not appear to cause headache. Whether moderate hypertension predisposes patients to headache at all remains controversial, but there is little evidence that it does. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in patients with mild and moderate hypertension has shown no convincing relationship between blood pressure uctuations over a 24-hour period and presence or absence of headache. However, headaches are associated to various disorders that lead to abrupt, severe, and paroxysmal elevations in blood pressure. In this paper, the secondary headaches attributed to acute crises of hypertension and the criteria for diagnosing each of them have been reviewed. These are headaches attributed to pheochromocytoma, hypertensive crisis without encephalopathy, hypertensive encephalopathy, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, and acute pressure response to exogenous agents.

Iranian Journal of Neurology, 2013

Superficial siderosis (SS) is a rare disease which affects people in all ages and both sexes, but... more Superficial siderosis (SS) is a rare disease which affects people in all ages and both sexes, but three times more in men. Pathological etiology is deposition of hemosiderin (a product of the breakdown of blood) in leptomeninges, subpial layer, ependymal surface and other parts of central nervous system (CNS) and typically leads to neurological dysfunction and progressive irreversible signs and symptoms. We present a 33-year-old man with complete deafness in left ear, partial hearing loss in right ear, gait imbalance, bilateral frontotemporal throbbing headache and anosmia resulted from superficial siderosis.

Differential Expression of Cytokine-Coding Genes among Migraine Patients with and without Aura and Normal Subjects

Journal of Molecular Neuroscience

Expression of PIAS Genes in Migraine Patients

Journal of Molecular Neuroscience

Journal of NeuroVirology

The COVID-19 pandemic has infected more than 22 million people worldwide. Although much has been ... more The COVID-19 pandemic has infected more than 22 million people worldwide. Although much has been learned about COVID-19, we do not know much about its neurological features and their outcome. This observational study was conducted on the patients of Imam Hossein Hospital, and 361 adult patients (214 males) with confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 from March 5, 2020 to April 3, 2020, were enrolled. Data was gathered on age, sex, comorbidities, initial symptoms, symptoms during the disease course, neurological symptoms, and outcome. The mean age of the patients was 61.90 ± 16.76 years. The most common initial symptoms were cough, fever, and dyspnea. In 21 patients (5.8%), the initial symptom was neurological. History of dementia was associated with severe COVID-19 disease (odds ratio = 1.28). During the course of the disease, 186 patients (51.52%) had at least one neurological symptom, the most common being headache (109 [30.2%]), followed by anosmia/ageusia (69, [19.1%]), and dizziness (54, [15%]). Also, 31 patients had neurological complications (8.58%). Anosmia, ageusia, dizziness, and headache were associated with favorable outcome (P < 0.001), while altered mental status and hemiparesis were associated with poor outcome. The mortality rate of patients who had neurological complications was more than twice than that of patients without neurological complication (P = 0.008). Almost half of the patients experienced at least one neurological symptom, which may be the initial presentation of COVID-19. Dementia appears to be associated with severe COVID-19. Mortality was higher in patients with neurological complications, and these patients needed more intensive care.

Comparing the Effects of Atorvastatin With Sodium Valproate (Divalproex) on Frequency and Intensity of Frequent Migraine Headaches

Clinical Neuropharmacology

Identification of a Mutation in SPG11 in an Iranian Patient with Spastic Paraplegia and Ears of the Lynx Sign

Journal of Molecular Neuroscience

Journal of Neurology and Neuroscience, 2017

Background: Migraine affects about 16% of the worldwide population. The pathogenesis of the disea... more Background: Migraine affects about 16% of the worldwide population. The pathogenesis of the disease consists of a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Given that, according to different polymorphism studies, ethnicity has a role in the gene diversity of migraine, this study was designed to determine the role of MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism in people from Tehran, Iran, who suffer from migraine headaches. Materials and methods: In this case control study, we determined the prevalence of common MTHFR C677T polymorphism in 132 migraine patients in line with IHS criteria (37 migraine patients with aura and 95 migraine patients without aura) and compared it to that in 142 matched healthy controls. The correlation between migraine and genotype was investigated using the chi-square test. The Bonferroni adjusted P-value was also used for pairwise comparison. Results: Our findings demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the frequencies of the TT genotype or T al...

Which Stroke Patients are Suitable for Endovascular Treatment in Emergency Department

Iranian journal of emergency medicine, 2018

Stroke makes up a significant part of causes for emergency department (ED) visits. This complicat... more Stroke makes up a significant part of causes for emergency department (ED) visits. This complication can be accompanied by a desirable outcome in case of rapid diagnosis and proper treatment intervention. However, in case of delay in treatment, it will bring about many costs for the individual, his or her family and the health care system. Therefore, timely diagnosis is the first and major step in managing these patients in ED and after that, choosing the proper treatment method is the priority. Currently, various treatment methods are available for managing these patients, from palliative care to thrombolytic therapy and endovascular interventions and one of the major questions in treatment of acute brain stroke in ED is which patient is suitable for receiving which treatment? Endovascular intervention is a relatively new treatment method that can extract the blood clot from the brain vessels and various studies have shown that it is one of the most effective treatment intervention...

International Clinical Neuroscience Journal, 2017

A novel type of brainstem-predominant encephalomyelitis was first described as chronic lymphocyti... more A novel type of brainstem-predominant encephalomyelitis was first described as chronic lymphocytic inflammation with pontine perivascular enhancement responsive to steroids (CLIPPERS) in 2010 by Pittocket al and then few additional patients were reported. Here we report a 50-year-old Iranian male who presented with a number of clinical features described as typical for CLIPPERS. The association of typical clinical presentation and typical MR imaging could be sufficient for a reliable diagnosis of CLIPPERS.

Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Benign MS in Compare with Non-Benign MS

Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders

Stroke Research and Treatment

Introduction. Vitamin D insufficiency is highly prevalent and is a negative predictor for surviva... more Introduction. Vitamin D insufficiency is highly prevalent and is a negative predictor for survival in ischemic stroke patients. We evaluated the effect of a high dose of vitamin D3 on the Neuron-Specific Enolase (NSE) level, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and Barthel Index (BI) scoring system in moderate ischemic stroke patients. Methods. This prospective, double-blind, randomized clinical trial (RCT) study was conducted from April 2020 to March 2021. Patients with moderate ischemic stroke (NIHSS 5 to 15) who had vitamin D deficiency (serum 25-OH vitamin D ≤30 ng/mL) were recruited and randomized into intervention and control groups. Subjects in the intervention group received a single dose, intramuscular (IM) injection of 600000 international unit (IU) vitamin D3, in addition to the standard treatment. NSE level and NIHSS were evaluated at baseline and 48 hours after the intervention. The BI was monitored three months after discharge. Results. During the study p...

Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Dorema Ammoniacum and Ferula Persica oleo-gum Resins Combination Product On Seizure Control In Epileptic Patients: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study

Journal of Complementary Medicine Research, 2022

Stroke makes up a significant part of causes for emergency department (ED) visits. This complicat... more Stroke makes up a significant part of causes for emergency department (ED) visits. This complication can be accompanied by a desirable outcome in case of rapid diagnosis and proper treatment intervention. However, in case of delay in treatment, it will bring about many costs for the individual, his or her family and the health care system. Therefore, timely diagnosis is the first and major step in managing these patients in ED and after that, choosing the proper treatment method is the priority. Currently, various treatment methods are available for managing these patients, from palliative care to thrombolytic therapy and endovascular interventions and one of the major questions in treatment of acute brain stroke in ED is which patient is suitable for receiving which treatment? Endovascular intervention is a relatively new treatment method that can extract the blood clot from the brain vessels and various studies have shown that it is one of the most effective treatment intervention...

Introduction: Recent studies have highlighted the effect of emotional states on cognitive process... more Introduction: Recent studies have highlighted the effect of emotional states on cognitive processes. Humans cannot distinguish between different types of emotions, which justify various effects of different emotions on humans. Emotions can lead to loss of function and may have negative effects on daily lives (e.g. test anxiety). Given the cognitive distortion induced by emotional stimuli and environmental events, the present study aimed to compare the effect of arousal induced by positive and negative emotional stimuli on memory and learning function of medical students.Methods and results: This was a semi-experimental study. The sample size was determined as 46. A convenient non-probability sampling was used to select from all students majoring in neurology and psychiatry. The students were randomly divided into two groups. The first group was exposed to positive emotional stimuli and the second group was exposed to negative emotional stimuli. Memory function or involvement was ass...

Evaluation of Efficacy of Neuro Muscular Electrical Stimulation and Electro Acupuncture in Improving the Pain and Disability in Patients with the Lumbar Degenerative Intervertebral Disk Disease

Background: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) due to the degenerative intervertebral disk diseases is ... more Background: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) due to the degenerative intervertebral disk diseases is one of the most common musculoskeletal conditions in contemporary societies. A variety of pharmacological, non-pharmacological and surgical options is available for treatment of CLBP. The use of non-pharmacological methods have drastically increased in recent years, offering fewer complications and expenses. This study was conducted to compare the efficacy of the neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and electro acupuncture (EAP) with exercise therapy alone in patients with chronic low back pain. Materials and Methods: This was a randomized case-controlled clinical trial. Sixty patients with CLBP were randomly assigned to 3 groups (20 cases each) of the EAP with exercise therapy, NMES with exercise therapy, and exercise therapy only. Severity of pain and disability improvement were assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) and Quebec back pain disability scale respectively. Results: A total of 66 individuals were enrolled, out of which 6 were excluded due to patients' lack of cooperation. A significant decline in the amounts of Quebec and VAS was observed in the three groups (p<0.001). The pain and disability improvements did not display any significant difference in the NMES or EAP groups compared to the control group. However, the severity of disability and pain in the NMES group were significantly higher than the EAP group (p<0.05). Conclusion: These findings may indicate an almost identical efficacy of exercise therapy alone compared to the combination with electrical stimulation techniques in improving the pain and disability in patients suffering CLBP.

International Journal of Stroke, 2020

Objective The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has affected healthcare systems around the globe ... more Objective The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has affected healthcare systems around the globe and massively impacted patients with various non-infectious, life-threatening conditions. Stroke is a major neurological disease contributing to death and disability worldwide, and is still an ongoing issue during the pandemic. Here we investigate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak on stroke manifestations, treatment courses, the outcome of stroke patients, and the hospitalization rate in a referral center for stroke management in Tehran, Iran. Methods We extracted data regarding 31 stroke patients (10 patients with laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease 2019) and compared the demographic and pathological characteristics of the patients with or without coronavirus disease 2019 infection. The association of demographic/pathological characteristics of stroke patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and a corresponding period during the previous year (49 pati...

Electronic Physician, 2018

Background and aim: Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder in pregnancy, which is associated ... more Background and aim: Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder in pregnancy, which is associated with increased maternal and fetal adverse outcomes. This study aimed to explore the reproductive healthcare needs of women with epilepsy before, during and after childbirth. Methods: This was a qualitative study using a content analysis method. The study population was marital women with epilepsy in reproductive age (15-45 years) referred to Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Participants were 16 women chosen using purposive sampling with the consideration of maximum variation in sampling. Semi-structured interviews were held with the participants until data saturation was reached. The data were analyzed using the content analysis method. The MAXQDA software, version 2010, was used for the management of data. Results: The data analysis led to the development of two categories. The first one is named 'resilience against threats to safe pregnancy' and has the following subcategories: (1) real physical complications and perceived (mental) conditions due to unwanted pregnancies, (2) the predisposing factors of anxiety related to safe pregnancy, (3) perceived consequences of pregnancy', and (4) the approach to encounter perceived consequences of pregnancy. The second category is called 'adverse experiences under inefficient supportive systems' and has the following subcategories: (1) the insufficiency of reproductive healthcare services for women with epilepsy, (2) doubt about the advantages and disadvantages of breastfeeding, (3) stigma as a block to the treatment of the postpartum depression, and (4) playing the motherhood role under the shadow of self-esteem to lack of selfesteem. Conclusion: In the prenatal, natal and postnatal duration, because of supportive system disruption and not receiving proper consultation, participants were often worried about not being able to get favorable conditions for safe pregnancy and controlling process of their pregnancy. Therefore, they often experienced unwanted pregnancy. They were also concerned about the adverse fetal outcomes. In postpartum period, they often experienced postpartum depression and were very doubtful about breastfeeding.

Mild (140 to 159/90 to 99 mmHg) or moderate (160 to 179/100 to 109 mmHg) chronic arterial hyperte... more Mild (140 to 159/90 to 99 mmHg) or moderate (160 to 179/100 to 109 mmHg) chronic arterial hypertension does not appear to cause headache. Whether moderate hypertension predisposes patients to headache at all remains controversial, but there is little evidence that it does. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in patients with mild and moderate hypertension has shown no convincing relationship between blood pressure uctuations over a 24-hour period and presence or absence of headache. However, headaches are associated to various disorders that lead to abrupt, severe, and paroxysmal elevations in blood pressure. In this paper, the secondary headaches attributed to acute crises of hypertension and the criteria for diagnosing each of them have been reviewed. These are headaches attributed to pheochromocytoma, hypertensive crisis without encephalopathy, hypertensive encephalopathy, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, and acute pressure response to exogenous agents.

Iranian Journal of Neurology, 2013

Superficial siderosis (SS) is a rare disease which affects people in all ages and both sexes, but... more Superficial siderosis (SS) is a rare disease which affects people in all ages and both sexes, but three times more in men. Pathological etiology is deposition of hemosiderin (a product of the breakdown of blood) in leptomeninges, subpial layer, ependymal surface and other parts of central nervous system (CNS) and typically leads to neurological dysfunction and progressive irreversible signs and symptoms. We present a 33-year-old man with complete deafness in left ear, partial hearing loss in right ear, gait imbalance, bilateral frontotemporal throbbing headache and anosmia resulted from superficial siderosis.

Differential Expression of Cytokine-Coding Genes among Migraine Patients with and without Aura and Normal Subjects

Journal of Molecular Neuroscience

Expression of PIAS Genes in Migraine Patients

Journal of Molecular Neuroscience

Journal of NeuroVirology

The COVID-19 pandemic has infected more than 22 million people worldwide. Although much has been ... more The COVID-19 pandemic has infected more than 22 million people worldwide. Although much has been learned about COVID-19, we do not know much about its neurological features and their outcome. This observational study was conducted on the patients of Imam Hossein Hospital, and 361 adult patients (214 males) with confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 from March 5, 2020 to April 3, 2020, were enrolled. Data was gathered on age, sex, comorbidities, initial symptoms, symptoms during the disease course, neurological symptoms, and outcome. The mean age of the patients was 61.90 ± 16.76 years. The most common initial symptoms were cough, fever, and dyspnea. In 21 patients (5.8%), the initial symptom was neurological. History of dementia was associated with severe COVID-19 disease (odds ratio = 1.28). During the course of the disease, 186 patients (51.52%) had at least one neurological symptom, the most common being headache (109 [30.2%]), followed by anosmia/ageusia (69, [19.1%]), and dizziness (54, [15%]). Also, 31 patients had neurological complications (8.58%). Anosmia, ageusia, dizziness, and headache were associated with favorable outcome (P < 0.001), while altered mental status and hemiparesis were associated with poor outcome. The mortality rate of patients who had neurological complications was more than twice than that of patients without neurological complication (P = 0.008). Almost half of the patients experienced at least one neurological symptom, which may be the initial presentation of COVID-19. Dementia appears to be associated with severe COVID-19. Mortality was higher in patients with neurological complications, and these patients needed more intensive care.

Comparing the Effects of Atorvastatin With Sodium Valproate (Divalproex) on Frequency and Intensity of Frequent Migraine Headaches

Clinical Neuropharmacology

Identification of a Mutation in SPG11 in an Iranian Patient with Spastic Paraplegia and Ears of the Lynx Sign

Journal of Molecular Neuroscience