The impact of COVID-19 on the state of the medulla oblongata structures: clinical and morphological analysis

Objective: to conduct a clinical and morphological analysis of the state of the medulla oblongata of patients who died from an infection caused by SARS-CoV-2. Material and methods. The work is based on a morphological study of the medulla oblongata of 10 patients who died from the coronavirus infection COVID-19, who did not appear symptoms and signs of damage to the nervous system during their lifetime, with the exception of ageusia. Results. In the structure of neurons in the medulla oblongata, changes characteristic of infectious diseases (the "mulberry" phenomenon, chromatolysis, eosinophilic inclusions of a protein nature) were revealed. Conclusion. The results obtained indicate that when SARS-CoV-2 enters the brain structures, it triggers the process of destruction of the nuclei of neurons and the penetration of viral inclusions into the cell, which indicates a lesion of the central nervous system directly associated with SARS-CoV-2.