Igor J. Koralnik

Igor Koralnik is an American physician, neurologist and scientist. He is one of the first physicians to study the neurologic complications caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Koralnik has been conducting research and offering insight regarding the neurological manifestation of COVID-19. In June 2020, he published a study in the Annals of Neurology where he reviewed the neurological complications of COVID-19.

Koralnik started the Neuro COVID-19 Clinic at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in May 2020, where he and his team investigate, diagnose and manage neurological symptoms of patients affected by the illness, as well as individuals with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, but who test negative for the virus SARS-CoV-2.

In October 2020, Koralnik published a study in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, where he and his team examined neurologic manifestations in 509 consecutive patients admitted with confirmed COVID-19 within the Northwestern Medicine health system in the Chicago area. The study found that nearly a third of hospitalized COVID-19 patients experienced encephalopathy; these patients had significantly worse medical outcomes and stayed three times as long in the hospital as patients without encephalopathy.

In March 2021, Koralnik and the Neuro COVID-19 Clinic at Northwestern Memorial Hospital published a study in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology. The study focused on long-term neurological symptoms of people who were never physically sick enough from COVID-19 to require hospitalization. After studying 100 patients from 21 states, the study found that 85 percent of them experienced four or more neurological issues like brain fog, headaches, tingling, muscle pain, dizziness and continued loss of the sense of taste and touch.

Memberships and editorial activities Koralnik joined the American Neurological Association in 2004 and was elected member of the prestigious American Society for Clinical Investigation in 2008.

Personal life Koralnik is married and has three children.