Myoclonus and cerebellar ataxia associated with COVID-19: a case report and systematic review.
J Neurol
; 268(10): 3517-3548, 2021 Oct.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1092678
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in December 2019, neurological manifestations have been recognized as potential complications. Relatively rare movement disorders associated with COVID-19 are increasingly reported in case reports or case series. Here, we present a case and systematic review of myoclonus and cerebellar ataxia associated with COVID-19.METHODS:
A systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline using the PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE databases, from November 1, 2019 to December 6, 2020.RESULTS:
51 cases of myoclonus or ataxia associated with COVID-19, including our case, were identified from 32 publications. The mean age was 59.6 years, ranging from 26 to 88 years, and 21.6% were female. Myoclonus was multifocal or generalized and had an acute onset, usually within 1 month of COVID-19 symptoms. Myoclonus occurred in isolation (46.7%), or with ataxia (40.0%) or cognitive changes (30.0%). Most cases improved within 2 months, and treatment included anti-epileptic medications or immunotherapy. Ataxia had an acute onset, usually within 1 month of COVID-19 symptoms, but could be an initial symptom. Concurrent neurological symptoms included cognitive changes (45.5%), myoclonus (36.4%), or a Miller Fisher syndrome variant (21.2%). Most cases improved within 2 months, either spontaneously or with immunotherapy.CONCLUSIONS:
This systematic review highlights myoclonus and ataxia as rare and treatable post-infectious or para-infectious, immune-mediated phenomena associated with COVID-19. The natural history is unknown and future investigation is needed to further characterize these movement disorders and COVID-19.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Cerebellar Ataxia
/
COVID-19
/
Myoclonus
Type of study:
Case report
/
Prognostic study
/
Reviews
/
Systematic review/Meta Analysis
Topics:
Long Covid
/
Variants
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Middle aged
Language:
English
Journal:
J Neurol
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S00415-021-10458-0
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS