EEG Findings in Coronavirus Disease.

PURPOSE: Neurologic manifestations of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) such as encephalopathy and seizures have been described. To our knowledge, detailed EEG findings in COVID-19 have not yet been reported. This report adds to the scarce body of evidence. METHODS: We identified eight COVID-19 positive patients who underwent EEG monitoring in our hospital system. RESULTS: EEGs were most commonly ordered for an altered level of consciousness, a nonspecific neurologic manifestation. We observed generalized background slowing in all patients and generalized epileptiform discharges with triphasic morphology in three patients. Focal electrographic seizures were observed in one patient with a history of focal epilepsy and in another patient with no such history. Five of eight patients had a previous diagnosis of epilepsy, suggesting that pre-existing epilepsy can be a potential risk factor for COVID-19-associated neurological manifestations. Five of eight patients who underwent EEG experienced a fatal outcome of infection. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings underscore previous observations that neurologic manifestations are common in severe cases. COVID-19 patients with epilepsy may have an increased risk of neurological manifestations and abnormal EEG.

[Clinical and neurophysiological parameters in patients with epilepsy in the long-term period after COVID-19]. / Kliniko-neirofiziologicheskie pokazateli u patsientov s epilepsiei v otdalennom periode novoi koronavirusnoi infektsii.

OBJECTIVE: Clinical and psychophysiological assessment of the dynamics of the condition of patients with epilepsy in 4-6 months after the coronavirus infection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An open controlled prospective comparative outpatient clinical and physiological study of patients diagnosed with epilepsy after suffering from COVID-19 (after 4-6 months) of moderate severity (n=16), patients diagnosed with epilepsy who did not suffer from COVID-19 (n=7), a control group (n=11) after confirmed COVID-19 (after 4-6 months). All groups were in the age range 23 to 50 years. Clinical/neurological and somatic research included: anamnesis, neurological examination, questioning, ECG, EEG, clinical and psychometric tests. RESULTS: There was an increase in the representation of epileptiform activity in the background EEG and more pronounced activity in provoking samples compared with background recording in 26.5% of patients who had suffered COVID-19 compared with the group of patients with epilepsy who had not suffered COVID-19. The detection of rare epileptic seizures in 18.8% of cases in the group of epilepsy patients, who underwent COVID-19, indicates an increase in epileptogenesis and a decrease in therapeutic control over seizures. At the same time, 87.5% of patients in this group showed a statistically significant increase in the influence of the sympathetic nervous system on the regulation of heart rhythm and an increase in anxiety and depression. CONCLUSION: The results can complement the understanding of the neuropsychiatric status of patients with epilepsy after COVID-19, which provides prerequisites for the development of optimal recovery directions in the rehabilitation period to maintain drug remission of epilepsy and reduce the possible progression of the disease.

INCIDENCE OF ACUTE SYMPTOMATIC SEIZURES IN PATIENTS WITH COVID-19: A SINGLE-CENTER STUDY.

The most common neurological symptoms in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection are headache, myalgia, encephalopathy, dizziness, dysgeusia and anosmia, making more than 90 percent of neurological manifestations of COVID-19. Other neurological manifestations such as stroke, movement disorder symptoms or epileptic seizures are rare but rather devastating, with possible lethal outcome. The primary aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of acute symptomatic seizures among COVID-19 patients, while secondary aim was to determine their possible etiology. Out of 5382 patients with COVID-19 admitted to Dubrava University Hospital from November 1, 2020 until June 1, 2021, 38 (seizure rate 0.7%) of them had acute symptomatic seizures. Of these 38 patients, 29 (76.3%) had new-onset epileptic seizures and nine (23.7%) patients with previous epilepsy history had breakthrough seizures during COVID-19. Although acute symptomatic seizures are an infrequent complication of COVID-19, seizure risk must be considered in these patients, particularly in the group of patients with a severe course of the disease. Accumulation of proinflammatory cytokines may contribute to the occurrence of seizures in patients with COVID-19, but seizures may also be secondary to primary brain pathology related to COVID-19, such as stroke or encephalitis.

COVID-19 Continuous-EEG Case Series: A Descriptive Study.

PURPOSE: Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) refers to coronavirus disease secondary to SARS-CoV2 infection mainly affecting the human respiratory system. The SARS-CoV2 has been reported to have neurotropic and neuroinvasive features and neurological sequalae with wide range of reported neurological manifestations, including cerebrovascular disease, skeletal muscle injury, meningitis, encephalitis, and demyelination, as well as seizures and focal status epilepticus. In this case series, we analyzed the continuous video-EEGs of patients with COVID-19 infection to determine the presence of specific EEG features or epileptogenicity. METHODS: All continuous video-EEG tracings done on SARS-CoV2-positive patients during a 2-week period from April 5, 2020, to April 19, 2020, were reviewed. The demographics, clinical characteristics, imaging, and EEG features were analyzed and presented. RESULTS: Of 23 patients undergoing continuous video-EEG, 16 were COVID positive and were included. Continuous video-EEG monitoring was ordered for "altered mental status" in 11 of 16 patients and for "clinical seizure" in 5 of 16 patients. None of the patients had seizures or status epilepticus as a presenting symptom of COVID-19 infection. Instead, witnessed clinical seizures developed as results of COVID-19-related medical illness(es): anoxic brain injury, stroke/hemorrhage, lithium (Li) toxicity (because of kidney failure), hypertension, and renal disease. Three patients required therapeutic burst suppression because of focal nonconvulsive status epilepticus, status epilepticus/myoclonus secondary to anoxic injury from cardiac arrest, and one for sedation (and with concomitant EEG abnormalities secondary to Li toxicity). CONCLUSIONS: In this observational case series of 16 patients with COVID-19 who were monitored with continuous video-EEG, most patients experienced a nonspecific encephalopathy. Clinical seizures and electrographic status epilepticus were the second most commonly observed neurological problem.

Exploring seizure management in hospitals, unmet need, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on seizure presentations to hospital.

PURPOSE: This study assesses investigations, referrals and admissions in patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) with seizures, and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on such management. Outcomes in patients with learning disabilities, active significant mental health concerns, and from the most socioeconomically deprived areas were compared to those of the general cohort. METHODS: Investigations, referrals and admissions were recorded for 120 patients across two cohorts; pre-pandemic (September 2019) and during the pandemic (December 2020). Retrospective review of individual patient electronic health care records was used for data collection. RESULTS: There was a decrease in patient numbers from 2019 to 2020. A greater proportion of patients presented with organic cause seizures and fewer presented with non-epileptic attacks. Frequent use of CT heads (45%) is likely to represent improper use of limited resources. There were low referral rates, both to acute neurology (28%) and to the adult epilepsy team (32%). Patients with active significant mental health concerns were significantly less likely to be referred to neurology or admitted. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a greater proportion of admissions during the Covid-19 pandemic, referrals to acute neurology and the epilepsy team remained low. Failure to refer prevents the most vulnerable seizure patients from receiving appropriate support, as seen in patients with active significant mental health concerns. Neurology staff were unaware of a significant number of patients presenting with seizures, which is of concern in an already over-stretched department. This offers an opportunity to improve care for people with epilepsy.

Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) in the COVID-19 pandemic era: A systematic review with individual patients' analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) resemble epileptic seizures but are not due to underlying epileptic activity and in some cases coexist alongside epilepsy. We described the clinical characteristics of patients with PNES as reported in the literature from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated differences between patients with a diagnosis made immediately before the pandemic (pPNES) and those newly diagnosed during it (nPNES). METHODS: A systematic search with individual patient analysis of PNES cases published since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak was performed. Differences between pPNES and nPNES were analyzed using Chi-square or Fisher exact test. RESULTS: Eleven articles were included, with 133 patients (106 pPNES and 27 nPNES). In the pPNES group, PNES frequency increased during the pandemic in 20/106 patients, whereas in 78/106, the frequency remained stable or decreased. nPNES was associated with higher risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection and epilepsy diagnosis, whereas psychiatric comorbidities were less frequent. CONCLUSIONS: During the pandemic, most patients with pPNES remained stable or improved, whereas nPNES was associated with a lower burden of psychiatric comorbidities. These intriguing findings suggest that, at least in some patients, the COVID-19 pandemic may not necessarily lead to worsening in the frequency of PNES and quality of life.

New-onset functional seizures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the characteristics of functional seizures (FS) at the onset of seizures. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of all patients with new-onset FS, who were admitted at the epilepsy monitoring unit at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, during two time periods: the onset of FS and also the diagnosis of FS in 2017-2019 (pre-COVID era) and the onset of FS and also the diagnosis of FS in 2020-2021 (COVID era). RESULTS: Forty-five patients were studied (32 patients from the pre-COVID era and 13 patients from the COVID era). Patients who developed FS during the pandemic more likely had comorbid epilepsy compared with the patients who presented with FS before the pandemic [30.1% vs. 9.4%; Odds ratio (OR): 81.2]. Furthermore, those who developed FS during the pandemic more likely were employed compared with the patients who presented with FS before the pandemic (46.2% vs. 12.5%; OR: 16.2). A family history of seizures was associated with the FS timing as a trend (OR: 8.4); those who developed FS during the pandemic more likely had a family history of seizures compared with the patients who presented with FS before the pandemic (53.8% vs. 18.8%). CONCLUSION: This study showed that patients who developed FS during the COVID-19 pandemic had significant underlying differences (i.e., employment status, comorbid epilepsy, and a family history of seizures) compared with those who presented with FS before the pandemic.

Provoked seizures and status epilepticus in a pediatric population with COVID-19 disease.

We are reporting 16 pediatric patients (ages 0-18-years-old) who presented to our urban hospital emergency room with seizures and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the surge of the Omicron variant. There was an increased number of pediatric patients with seizures and COVID-19 during this period as compared to prior COVID-19 surges. The 16 patients ranged in age from 3 months to 12 years of age. Five of the 16 patients (31%) had a prior history of epilepsy. Eight patients (50%) presented in status epilepticus, and in six patients (38%) the seizures appeared to have focal features. Fourteen patients (88%) presented with a complex provoked seizure defined as exhibiting either focality, seizure >5 min in length, or more than one seizure in 24 h. We suggest that in the pediatric population, when compared to prior variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the Omicron variant is more likely to be associated with neurologic symptoms, including complex provoked seizures.

Electroencephalography at the height of a pandemic: EEG findings in patients with COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize continuous video electroencephalogram (VEEG) findings of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of patients admitted at three New York City hospitals who underwent VEEG at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Demographics, comorbidities, neuroimaging, VEEG indications and findings, treatment, and outcomes were collected. RESULTS: Of 93 patients monitored, 77% had severe COVID-19 and 40% died. Acute ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke was present in 26% and 15%, respectively. Most common VEEG indications were encephalopathy/coma (60%) and seizure-like movements (38%). Most common VEEG findings were generalized slowing (97%), generalized attenuation (31%), generalized periodic discharges (17%) and generalized sharp waves (15%). Epileptiform abnormalities were present in 43% and seizures in 8% of patients, all of whom had seizure risk factors. Factors associated with an epileptiform VEEG included increasing age (OR 1.07, p = 0.001) and hepatic/renal failure (OR 2.99, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Most COVID-19 patients who underwent VEEG monitoring had severe COVID-19 and over one-third had acute cerebral injury (e.g., stroke, anoxia). Seizures were uncommon. VEEG findings were nonspecific. SIGNIFICANCE: VEEG findings in this cohort of hospitalized COVID-19 patients were those often seen in critical illness. Seizures were uncommon and occurred in the setting of common seizure risk factors.

Longstanding Phenytoin Use as a Cause of Progressive Dyspnea.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 54-year-old South African man with a medical history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, seizure disorder, OSA, and latent TB presented to the ER with gradually progressive dyspnea over months. He also reported occasional dry cough and fatigue at presentation but denied fever, chills, chest pain, leg swelling, palpitations, or lightheadedness. He was treated with a course of levofloxacin for presumed community-acquired pneumonia as an outpatient without improvement and had tested negative for COVID-19. He denied occupational or environmental exposures or sick contacts, though he had traveled back to South Africa 1 year before presentation. He had complex partial seizures for the past 22 years, which had been well controlled on phenytoin (300 mg daily). His other home medications included dulaglutide, sertraline, and atorvastatin and had no recent changes. He quit smoking 30 years ago after smoking one pack per day for 10 years.

COVID-19 vaccine take-up rate and safety in adults with epilepsy: Data from a multicenter study in China.

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to investigate the COVID-19 vaccine uptake rate and possible postvaccination effects in adults with epilepsy. METHODS: We invited adults with epilepsy attending three centers in China from July 24 to August 31, 2021 to participate in this study. We also asked age- and sex-matched controls among people attending for other chronic neuropsychiatric conditions and healthy controls accompanying people with illness attending the hospitals to participate. We excluded people who, under the national guidelines, had evident contradictions to vaccination. Participants were interviewed face-to-face using questionnaires. Vaccine uptake and postvaccine adverse events among the people with epilepsy were compared with those with neuropsychiatric conditions and controls. We also compared the willingness and reasons for hesitancy among unvaccinated participants. RESULTS: We enrolled 981 people, of whom 491 had epilepsy, 217 had other neuropsychiatric conditions, and 273 were controls. Forty-two percent of those with epilepsy had had the first dose of a vaccine, compared with 93% of controls and 84% of the people with neuropsychiatric conditions (p < .0001). The majority (93.8%) of those immunized had inactivated vaccines. Among the unvaccinated people with epilepsy, 59.6% were willing to have the vaccine. Their main reasons for hesitation were potential adverse effects (53.3%) and concerns about losing seizure control (47.0%). The incidence of adverse events in the epilepsy group was similar to controls. Nineteen people with epilepsy reported an increase in seizure frequency. No episode of status epilepticus or prolonged seizures was reported. Two controls had their first-ever seizure, which was unlikely related to the vaccine. SIGNIFICANCE: The vaccine uptake rate in people with epilepsy was lower than in their same-age controls. The postvaccination effect was no higher than in controls. We found no evidence suggesting worsening seizures after vaccination. Measurement and education focused on increasing the vaccination rate in epilepsy are warranted.

Neurological symptoms of COVID-19 infection; a cross-sectional study on hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a global issue now, can have a variety of clinical manifestations. Hundreds of articles have discussed different aspects of this infectious disease, such as physiopathology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations and treatment protocols. Recently, neurological manifestations of the disease have been found to be pretty common among COVID-19 patients. Here, neurological symptoms of COVID-19 infection with a focus on non-cerebrovascular complications are discussed in a large study population. METHODS: Neurological symptoms of 891hospitalized COVID-19 patients from March to June 2020 in a major Hospital, Tehran, Iran, were reviewed. Demographic characteristics and neurological manifestations were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 891 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, the following symptoms were observed: headache (63.9%), sleeping problems (51.3%), hyposmia/anosmia (46%), dizziness (45.4%), hypogeusia (42.1%), memory issues (31.5%), auditory disturbances (17.5%), paralysis (3.7%) and seizures (1.7%). In 29.7% of the patients, a neurological symptom was the initiating symptoms of the infection. Females were more likely to show headache and dizziness compared to males (p value<0.05). Headache intensity was also higher in females compared to males (p value<0.05). Headache prevalence was lower in older patients (p value<0.05), while memory loss and impaired consciousness were higher by increasing age (p values=0.002 and 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Neurological manifestations were common among COVID-19 patients under study. Headache, as the most common neurological symptom among COVID-19 patients, was the most prevalent and intense among the female population. Headache, dizziness, sleeping problems, hyposmia/anosmia and hypogeusia were common COVID-19 neurological manifestations, while memory issues, auditory disturbances, paralysis, and seizures were less common.

Seizures as the main presenting manifestation of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection in children.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the rate, characteristics, risk factors, and prognosis of children presenting with seizures as the main symptom of acute COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). METHODS: We conducted a systematic retrospective study to identify all children who presented to the emergency departments of a tertiary academic medical center between March 1st and December 31st 2020 and had a SARS-CoV-2 infection based on RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) from nasopharyngeal swab. Clinical and demographic data were extracted from the electronic medical records and reviewed. RESULTS: Total of 175 children were diagnosed with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection in the emergency departments during the study period. Of those, 11 presented with seizures. Age ranged from six months to 17 years and 4 were girls. Five presented with status epilepticus and responded to loading doses of anti-seizure medications. Six had fever. Seven had prior history of neurological disorder. Full recovery was the rule. SIGNIFICANCE: Unlike in adults, seizures occur early and may be the main manifestation of acute COVID-19 in children. Seizures, including status epilepticus, may occur without fever even in children with no history of epilepsy and are not associated with severe disease. A high index of suspicion is required for early diagnosis thus infection control measures can be taken.

New-onset status epilepticus in SARS-CoV-2 infection: a case series.

BACKGROUND: Neurological manifestations of COVID-19 infection are well recognized. Seizures and status epilepticus (SE) have been reported as possible manifestations and/or complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection at different disease stages, but few data are known about the type, severity, treatment response, and recurrence. METHODS: Single-center retrospective case series. RESULTS: This case series describes four COVID-19-positive patients admitted to an Italian University Hospital, who developed status epilepticus during the active phase of disease, independently from the severity of respiratory symptoms. Two of them presented a relapse after resolution of the acute viral infection, a feature that has not been previously reported. CONCLUSIONS: Although a possible association between SE and COVID-19 has been reported, the exact etiopathogenetic mechanism remains still not understood. Our series adds new insights to shed further light on this controversial issue.

The future is now: pediatric neuropsychological presurgical epilepsy evaluation in the age of COVID-19.

The objective of this brief report is to review an assessment paradigm for conducting virtual neuropsychological pre-surgical evaluations in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. A multidisciplinary epilepsy team at a Level 4 epilepsy center within a large children's academic medical center convened to discuss the challenges and possible solutions for Phase II evaluations for pediatric patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The neuropsychologists explored evidence-based methods of virtual evaluation and developed a systematic decision-making process for youth requiring a Phase II evaluation. We propose models of assessment which prioritize teleneuropsychology when possible to reduce the risk of infection: (1) evaluation with directly administered tests through a completely virtual format; (2) virtual/in-person hybrid evaluation; and (3) clinical observation/interview in a virtual format supplemented by survey data. These models are illustrated by three cases. Using virtual assessment models, the team was able to meet the urgent patient care needs and collect useful data while minimizing the risk of virus spread. The paradigms presented may be useful examples for other multidisciplinary surgical teams interested in incorporating teleneuropsychology into their practices.

Management of Neurological Emergencies in Children: An Updated Overview.

Neurological emergencies account for about one-third of the highest severity codes attributed in emergency pediatric departments. About 75% of children with acute neurological symptoms presents with seizures, headache, or other paroxysmal events. Life-threatening conditions involve a minor proportion of patients (e.g., less than 15% of children with headache and less than 5% of children with febrile seizures). This review highlights updated insights about clinical features, diagnostic workup, and therapeutic management of pediatric neurological emergencies. Particularly, details will be provided about the most recent insights about headache, febrile seizures, status epilepticus, altered levels of consciousness, acute motor impairment, acute movement disorders, and functional disorders, as well as the role of diagnostic tools (e.g., neuroimaging, lumbar puncture, and electroencephalography), in the emergency setting. Moreover, the impact of the current novel coronavirus disease2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the evaluation of pediatric neurologic emergencies will also be analyzed.

Emergent Admissions to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit in the Setting of COVID-19 Pandemic-related, State-mandated Restrictions: Clinical Decision Making and Outcomes.

Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the state of Texas-limited elective procedures to conserve beds and personal protective equipment (PPE); therefore, between March 22 and May 18, 2020, admission to the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) was limited only to urgent and emergent cases. We evaluated clinical characteristics and outcomes of these patients who were admitted to the EMU. Nineteen patients were admitted (one patient twice) with average age of 36.26 years (11 female) and average length of stay 3 days (range: 2-9 days). At least one event was captured on continuous EEG (cEEG) and video monitoring in all 20 admissions (atypical in one). One patient had both epileptic (ES) and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) while 10 had PNES and 9 had ES. In 8 of 9 patients with ES, medications were changed, while in 5 patients with PNES, anti-epileptic drugs (AED) were stopped; the remaining 5 were not on medications. Of the 14 patients who had seen an epileptologist pre-admission, 13 (or 93%) had their diagnosis confirmed by EMU stay; a statistically significant finding. While typically an elective admission, in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic, urgent and emergent EMU admissions were required for increased seizure or event frequency. In the vast majority of patients (13 of 19), admission lead to medication changes to either better control seizures or to change therapeutics as appropriate when PNES was identified.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on characteristics of functional (psychogenic) seizures.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the clinical characteristics of patients with functional seizure (FS) (at the time of diagnosis). METHODS: In a retrospective study of a prospectively developed and maintained database, all patients diagnosed with FS before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were studied at the outpatient epilepsy clinic at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, from December 2008 until February 2021. RESULTS: Three hundred and eighty-eight patients were studied. Three hundred and sixty-four patients (94%) were diagnosed before and 24 persons (6%) during the pandemic. Patients diagnosed during the COVID-19 pandemic less frequently had generalized motor seizures [odds ratio (OR): 0.30, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.12-0.77; p = 0.012] and had higher seizure frequencies (OR: 1.00, 95% CI: 1.00-1.01; p = 0.044). Functional seizures were inversely associated with the education level as a trend during the COVID-19 pandemic (OR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.13-1.01; p = 0.052). CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the characteristics of patients with FS (at the time of diagnosis). Larger and multi-center studies are needed to investigate the links and associations between the COVID-19 pandemic and characteristics of FS.