In this study the authors evaluated clinicopathological correlations in 50 decedents of COVID-19 due to SARS-CoV-2 from among 250 reported patients succumbing to COVID-19 illness who underwent detailed post-mortem neuropathological studies. They found that hypoxia-ischemia, evident in the majority of cases, did not account for all relevant neuropathological features of severe COVID-19. Moreover, patients presenting with elevated levels of circulating interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)- α, suggests activation of innate and adaptive immunity indicative of a cytokine storm. Furthermore, eight (16%) cases with ADEM-like features or frank histological evidence of brainstem encephalitis suggest the need for an index of suspicion in clinically compatible cases.
DOI: 10.1111/bpa.12915