ABSTRACT
Abstract PTH-independent hypercalcemia due to granulomatous disease is well-documented and sarcoidosis is the most characteristic disease, although there are others. We describe a case of sarcoid-like granulomatous myositis. An 87-year-old man was referred with tetraparesis and hypercalcemia (albumin-corrected calcium of 13.4 mg/dl) following a trip to the Caribbean. The evaluation showed a suppressed PTH, 25-hydroxy vitamin D of 7.5 ng/ml, 18F-FDG PET/CT showed markedly increased uptake in intercostal, back, shoulder, but tock and thigh muscles and a deltoid biopsy confirmed extensive granulomatous myositis. He was prescribed glucocorticoids which resulted in normalized plasma calcium levels and complete recovery from tetraparesis. Sarcoid-like granulomatous myositis should be incorporated into the differential diagnosis of PTH-independent hypercalcemia, especially in the absence of clinical features of sarcoidosis and with special emphasis on the use of 18F-FDG PET/CT to ensure a correct approach.
Resumen La hipercalcemia PTH-independiente asociada a enfermedades granulomatosas está bien documentada y la sarcoidosis es la enfermedad más característica, a pesar de que existen otras. Des cribimos un caso de miositis granulomatosa simil-sarcoidea. Un hombre de 87 años consultó por tetraparesia e hipercalcemia (calcio corregido por albúmina 13.4 mg/dl) luego de un viaje al Caribe. La evaluación mostró una PTH suprimida, 25-hidroxivitamina D 7.5 ng/ml, 18F-FDG PET/CT mostró marcado aumento de captación a nivel de musculatura intercostal, dorsal, deltoidea, glúteos y muslos. Una biopsia deltoidea confirmó una miositis granulomatosa extensa. Se prescribieron glucocorticoides, resultando en normalización del calcio plasmático y completa recuperación de la tetraparesia. La miositis granulomatosa simil-sarcoidea debe ser incorporada den tro del diagnóstico diferencial de la hipercalcemia PTH-independiente, especialmente en ausencia de hallazgos clínicos de sarcoidosis y con especial énfasis en el uso de 18F-FDG PET/CT para su correcta aproximación.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Aged, 80 and over , Sarcoidosis/complications , Sarcoidosis/diagnosis , Hypercalcemia/diagnosis , Hypercalcemia/etiology , Myositis/complications , Myositis/diagnosis , Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography , Granuloma/complications , Granuloma/diagnosisABSTRACT
Background: There are multisystemic consequences secondary to SARS- CoV-2 infection. Aim: To characterize neurological complications in patients admitted due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: Review of medical records of patients aged over 15 years with COVID-19 evaluated by the neurology team between April and August 2020 at a university hospital. Severity of the infection, referral reasons, neurological diagnoses and laboratory results were registered. The diagnoses were defined by consensus among the members of the hospital neurology group. Cerebrovascular and inflammatory diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system were defined as "probably associated" or "possibly associated" to COVID-19. Results: Ninety-six patients had at least 1 new neu- rological complication. 74% were admitted due to pneumonia and 20% due to a neurological disease. The most common reasons for neurological referral were impaired consciousness (39%), focal neurological deficit (24%), headache (9%) and seizures (5%). The most relevant neurological diagnoses were delirium in 48 patients, stroke in 24, critical illness polyneuropathy and myopathy in 17, seizures in 14, brachial plexopathy in 3, compressive neuropathies in 5, encephalitis in 1, possible vasculitis in 1 and Guillain-Barré syndrome in 1. Stroke and epilepsy were associated with increased length of hospital stay, but without differences in mortality. Conclusions: The spectrum of neurological complications of COVID-19 is wide. There are clinical entities typical of critically ill patients and also diseases associated directly and indirectly with the SARS-CoV2 infection.