Multifocal microvascular injury in the brain and olfactory bulbs appears to be a possible adverse outcome from COVID-19, suggests new research published online December 30 as a "correspondence" in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Postmortem MRI brain scans of 13 patients who died from COVID-19 exhibited abnormalities in 10 participants. Nine of these had punctate hyperintensities, representing areas of microvascular injury and fibrinogen leakage, suggested the investigators. Immunostaining demonstrated thinning of the basal lamina in 5 of these patients. Additional evaluation revealed punctate hypointensities linked to congested blood vessels in 10 patients. These areas were interpreted as microhemorrhages. There was no evidence of viral infection, including SARS-CoV-2… (Medscape)