[Central nervous system adverse events potentially associated with drugs used for COVID-19: scoping reviewEventos adversos en el sistema nervioso central potencialmente relacionados con los medicamentos para tratar la COVID-19: revisión exploratoria].

Objective: To identify central nervous system (CNS) adverse events potentially associated with prophylaxis or drug treatment for COVID-19, and to describe the characteristic of the individuals affected.

Methods: A scoping review was performed using a search strategy to retrieve articles from PubMed, EMBASE, SciELO, Scopus, CINAHL and BVS databases. Studies reporting on individuals receiving prophylactic or curative drugs for COVID-19 with at least one CNS adverse event were included. Articles reporting on CNS adverse events associated with medication for other health conditions were excluded.

Results: The search retrieved 1 547 articles, eight of which met the inclusion criteria. Seven studies had an observational design. A total of 3 035 individuals were assessed, of whom 1 701 were health care professionals and 1 978 were women. Curative treatment with hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, and azithromycin was the most frequent (n = 5). The most common adverse events were headache, dizziness, mood disturbances, and drowsiness. Suicide was the most frequent severe event. Six adverse events were unexpected for hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine, and doxycycline.

Conclusion: Potential CNS adverse events were unspecific and in general potentially associated with the use of hydroxychloroquine (monotherapy or associated with antibiotics). The data confirm the unfavorable risk/benefit profile of these drugs for the prevention and management of signs and symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection.