ABSTRACT
Objective: To report a series of patients with clinical and imaging findings suggestive of central nervous system (CNS) Tuberculosis (TB) and active or recent SARS-CoV-2 infection presenting to a single tertiary care center within a two-month period. Background: A presumptive diagnosis of CNS TB is made in the setting of relevant clinical and epidemiologic factors together with typical radiographic findings. Immunosuppression is clearly associated with reactivation or re-infection of TB, although triggers leading to a reactivation are unclear. It is postulated that the SARS-CoV-2 infection suppresses the host innate and adaptive immunity. Design/Methods: NA Results: Three patients with suspected and one with confirmed CNS TB were identified. Patient one presented with a history of fever and altered sensorium for one-week. Concurrent SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed. CT-brain showed an obstructive hydrocephalus and an External Ventricular Drain was placed. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) for TB was positive. Patients 2-4 were diabetic and had SARS-CoV-2 infection identified concurrently or in the preceding two weeks. They presented with a history of headache & diplopia of two weeks duration. Examination revealed multiple cranial nerve palsies. The common MRI features were contrast enhancement & soft tissue thickening in the cavernous sinus wall. Patient two had multiple tuberculomas, patient three had orbital apex involvement and patient four had Meckel's cave thickening. CSF analysis revealed elevated proteins without cells and NAAT for TB was negative. All patients were started on anti-TB chemoprophylaxis with corticosteroids. Conclusions: Given the potential immunomodulatory role of SARS-CoV-2, we hypothesize that the viral infection acted as a trigger for the reactivation of TB in the CNS. In addition, three out of four of our patients had cavernous sinus wall involvement which is an unusual finding in CNS TB.
ABSTRACT
Background: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2(SARS-Cov2) is well known to cause a multitude of neurologic conditions out of which remains the rather rare condition of Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy. It's a devastating condition with early immunotherapy bringing a more favorable outcome. Pathophysiology suggests the dysregulation of the blood brain barrier secondary to the cytokine storm. Pituitary apoplexy is an unrelated acute condition in which there is either hemorrhagic or non- hemorrhagic necrosis of the pituitary gland. It again has multiple predisposing factors including changes in intracranial pressure and underlying coagulation disorders. Case Presentation: A thirty-five-year-old male patient with poorly controlled diabetes presented to our emergency department with fever, cough and progressive respiratory distress for three days. He was drowsy with clinical features of bronchopneumonia and his COVID PCR was positive (He had taken only the first dose of Sinopharm nearly a month before). Within twenty-four hours, he was sent to the ICU for ventilatory support mainly due to low GCS. His HRCT Chest revealed severe COVID pneumonia. MRI brain revealed high signal intensities involving cerebellum, brainstem, bilateral thalami and mesial temporal lobes compatible with acute necrotizing encephalopathy with a pituitary macroadenoma and bleeding into it. He received high dose steroids followed by plasma exchange leading to resolution of the above changes within a month but passed away at the end of six weeks due to secondary bacterial sepsis. Discussion: Here the pituitary macroadema was an incidental finding and the bleeding was postulated to be secondary to changes in intra cranial pressure. Both the Necrotizing encephalopathy and the pituitary apoplexy might have resulted in the reduced conscious level in the above patient in the background of severe COVID pneumonia. The immunotherapy was successful in resolution of the radiologic changes though the patient deteriorated clinically following a transient improvement due to bacterial sepsis.