almost one-third of patients who tested positive for covid-19 during the early months of the pandemic also reported symptoms of neuropathy, according to a new study that suggests the virus can damage nerves.
the study,
which was published in the journal pain
, found that people who contracted the virus between march 16, 2020 and jan. 12, 2021 were around three times more likely to report pain, numbness or tingling in their hands and feet compared to those who tested negative. in some cases, these symptoms persisted for up to three months.
“several viral infections — such as hiv and shingles — are associated with peripheral neuropathy because viruses can damage nerves,” said simon haroutounian, senior investigator of the study and chief of clinical research at the
washington university pain management center
. “we found that nearly 30 per cent of patients who tested positive for covid-19 also reported neuropathy problems at the time of their diagnosis and that for six to seven per cent of them, the symptoms persisted for at least two weeks, and up to three months, suggesting this virus may have lingering effects on peripheral nerves.”
neuropathy occurs when the network of nerves outside the brain and spinal cord are damaged or experience some form of dysfunction,
according to the cleveland clinic
. neuropathies are typically felt in extremities such as the hands and feet but can also affect other parts of the body. of the 1,556 people enrolled in the study, 542 tested positive for covid-19 and 1,014 were negative. most participants reported their pain as being mild or moderate and said they likely would not have required help from a pain specialist.