As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on, so too does the disease’s list of known symptoms. At first, cough, fever and shortness of breath were thought to be its primary symptoms. Nine months in, that list now includes organ damage, skin conditions, gastrointestinal problems and issues of the brain and nervous system.

A paper published Oct. 5 in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology is thought to be the first to examine the prevalence of neurologic symptoms in U.S. COVID-19 patients. Out of 509 people admitted to Chicago hospitals for coronavirus care this spring, 82% had a neurologic symptom at some point, according to the paper.

The most common neurologic symptoms were muscle aches and headaches, which were experienced by about 45% and 38% of patie…