ABSTRACT
A case of myoclonic status treated with plasmapheresis in a patient of 63 years of age who was admitted to a Spanish intensive care unit is reported. The patient showed clinical and radiological evidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection; molecular tests did not verify this.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To report 3 patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) who developed generalized myoclonus. METHODS: Patient data were obtained from medical records from the University Hospital "12 de Octubre," Madrid, Spain. RESULTS: Three patients (2 men and 1 woman, aged 63-88 years) presented with mild hypersomnia and generalized myoclonus following the onset of the so-called inflammatory phase of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). All of them had presented previously with anosmia. Myoclonus was generalized with both positive and negative jerks, predominantly involving the facial, trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, and upper extremities muscles. These myoclonic jerks occurred spontaneously and were extremely sensitive to multisensory stimuli (auditive and tactile) or voluntary movements, with an exaggerated startle response. Other causes of myoclonus were ruled out, and none of the patients had undergone respiratory arrest or significant prolonged hypoxia. All of them improved, at least partially, with immunotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our 3 cases highlight the occurrence of myoclonus during the COVID-19 pandemic as a post- or para-infectious immune-mediated disorder. However, we cannot rule out that SARS-CoV-2 may spread transneuronally to first- and second-order structures connected with the olfactory bulb. Further investigation is required to clarify the full clinical spectrum of neurologic symptoms and optimal treatment.
Subject(s)
Betacoronavirus , Coronavirus Infections/complications , Coronavirus Infections/diagnostic imaging , Myoclonus/diagnostic imaging , Myoclonus/etiology , Pneumonia, Viral/complications , Pneumonia, Viral/diagnostic imaging , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy , Female , Glucocorticoids/administration & dosage , Humans , Male , Methylprednisolone/administration & dosage , Middle Aged , Myoclonus/drug therapy , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral/drug therapy , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To report 2 patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) who presented acutely with Miller Fisher syndrome and polyneuritis cranialis, respectively. METHODS: Patient data were obtained from medical records from the University Hospital "Príncipe de Asturias," Alcalá de Henares, and the University Hospital "12 de Octubre," Madrid, Spain. RESULTS: A 50-year-old man presented with anosmia, ageusia, right internuclear ophthalmoparesis, right fascicular oculomotor palsy, ataxia, areflexia, albuminocytologic dissociation, and positive testing for anti-GD1b-immunoglobulin G antibody. Five days previously, he had developed a cough, malaise, headache, low back pain, and fever. A 39-year-old man presented with ageusia, bilateral abducens palsy, areflexia, and albuminocytologic dissociation. Three days previously, he had developed diarrhea, a low-grade fever, and poor general condition. Oropharyngeal swab test for SARS-CoV-2 by qualitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR assay was positive in both patients and negative in the CSF. The first patient was treated with IV immunoglobulin and the second with acetaminophen. Two weeks later, both patients made a complete neurologic recovery, except for residual anosmia and ageusia in the first case. CONCLUSIONS: Our 2 cases highlight the rare occurrence of Miller Fisher syndrome and polyneuritis cranialis during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. These neurologic manifestations may occur because of an aberrant immune response to COVID-19. The full clinical spectrum of neurologic symptoms in patients with COVID-19 remains to be characterized.