The pandemic is causing more pain than simply lifestyle changes
Musculoskeletal conditions are gaining prominence as people spend much of their time sitting
As an extremely wide-ranging field of specialisation , neuroscience has not escaped a significant impact from the pandemic . Indeed , the coronavirus has caused a wide number of primary and secondary effects on the brain , nerves , and spine over the last year .
Not only have neurologists been helping patients through the immediate effects of COVID-19 and the symptoms caused by the disease , they ’ ve also been treating those who have not caught it but who are still suffering in its wake , nevertheless .
That ’ s according to Dr Prem Pillay , medical director at the Singapore Brain Spine and Nerves Centre at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre , who spoke at Medical Festival Asia , an online event coconceptualised by Global Health Asia-Pacific and Messe Düsseldorf Asia that took place last December .
“ The pandemic has affected many of us directly and indirectly , even in Singapore where we ’ ve been quite lucky and the direct effects of COVID-19 have been small ,” he said .
Among the direct neurological effects , in addition to symptoms such as loss of smell and taste , is the increasing recognition that COVID-19 patients are more liable to suffer strokes at a very young age , as well as seizures and direct inflammation of the brain and spinal cord , known as encephalitis and myelitis , respectively .
GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com JUNE 2021
49