Lyme radiculopathy in a septuagenarian.

A man in his 70s presented to hospital in early summer with a 5-week history of progressive lower back and right thigh pain, sensory deficit and right leg weakness. There had been limited response to analgesics in the community. Primary investigations on admission revealed no cause for his symptoms. Five days into admission, history emerged of a possible tick bite with subsequent rash sustained 3 months earlier, raising the possibility of neuroborreliosis leading to radiculopathy. Cerebrospinal fluid demonstrated a lymphocytic pleocytosis. An elevated Borrelia burgdorferi antibody index confirmed a diagnosis of Lyme neuroborreliosis. The patient was treated successfully with 28 days of intravenous ceftriaxone, analgesia and physiotherapy. Within the literature, Lyme radiculopathy is a common presentation of neuroborreliosis and should be considered and investigated in patients without radiological evidence of a mechanical cause of worsening lower back pain in settings with endemic Lyme disease.

Phantosmia and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures in a patient with burning mouth syndrome suffering from severe depression.

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a rare but serious medical condition with important psychiatric comorbidity and specific psychological correlates. Psychopathology related with BMS represents a real challenge for clinical decision-making. In this case, depression is the leading psychiatric diagnosis associated with patient's BMS somatic pain and is driven by anxiety and a dissociative functioning. Facing a complex psychosomatic symptomatology, we offer new clinical perspectives for the screening of psychological traits of BMS. Moreover, we highlight the need to foster interdisciplinarity to improve differential diagnosis and defining an optimal care path. This case report stimulates a reflection on management challenges for the consultation-liaison psychiatry and shows the importance of a person-centred approach when communicating the diagnosis.

Neuropathic pain post-COVID-19: a case report.

A 61-year-old man with no significant medical history developed fever, headache and mild shortness of breath. He tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and self-isolated at home, not requiring hospital admission. One week after testing positive, he developed acute severe burning pain affecting his whole body, subsequently localised distally in the limbs. There was no ataxia or autonomic failure. Neurological examination was unremarkable. Electrophysiological tests were unremarkable. Skin biopsy, lumbar puncture, enhanced MRI of the brachial plexus and MRI of the neuroaxis were normal. His pain was inadequately controlled with pregabalin but improved while on a weaning regimen of steroids. This case highlights the variety of possible symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Brachial plexopathy as a complication of COVID-19.

COVID-19 affects a wide spectrum of organ systems. We report a 52-year-old man with hypertension and newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus who presented with hypoxic respiratory failure due to COVID-19 and developed severe brachial plexopathy. He was not treated with prone positioning respiratory therapy. Associated with the flaccid, painfully numb left upper extremity was a livedoid, purpuric rash on his left hand and forearm consistent with COVID-19-induced microangiopathy. Neuroimaging and electrophysiological data were consistent with near diffuse left brachial plexitis with selective sparing of axillary, suprascapular and pectoral fascicles. Given his microangiopathic rash, elevated D-dimers and paucifascicular plexopathy, we postulate a patchy microvascular thrombotic plexopathy. Providers should be aware of this significant and potentially under-recognised neurologic complication of COVID-19.

Atypical cutaneous and musculoskeletal manifestation of SARS-CoV-2: 'COVID-19 toes' and spasticity in a 48-year-old woman.

Establishing accurate symptomatology associated with novel diseases such as COVID-19 is a crucial component of early identification and screening. This case report identifies an adult patient with a history of clotting dysfunction presenting with rare cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19, known as 'COVID-19 toes'', previously described predominantly in children. Additionally, this patient presented with possible COVID-associated muscle spasticity of the lower limbs, as well as a prolonged and atypical timeline of COVID-19 infection. The rare occurrence of 'COVID-19 toes'' in this adult patient suggests that her medical history could have predisposed her to this symptom. This supports the coagulopathic hypothesis of this manifestation of COVID-19 and provides possible screening questions for patients with a similar history who might be exposed to the virus. Additionally, nervous system complaints associated with this disease are rare and understudied, so this novel symptom may also provide insight into this aspect of SARS-CoV-2.