Autoimmune Acute Myelitis with Guillain-Barré Syndrome and Cerebellar Ataxia after COVID-19 Infection: a Case Report
Neurology
; 98(18 SUPPL), 2022.
Article
in English
| EMBASE | ID: covidwho-1925572
ABSTRACT
Objective:
We aim to report clinical characteristics of an extremely rare case of myelitis with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and cerebellar ataxia (CA) after COVID-19 infection.Background:
There have been many reports about neurological complications following the world pandemic of COVID-19. We found about 100 GBS, 50 myelitis, and 10 CA cases after COVID-19 infection. To best our knowledge, this is the first report of myelitis with GBS and CA accompanied by multiple autoantibodies. Design/Methods:
NAResults:
A 60-year-old man with fever and cough was diagnosed with mild COVID-19 infection. Fourteen days later from the onset, he developed gait disturbance and fell frequently. On hospitalization, he exhibited fever, hypoxemia, mild consciousness disturbance, flaccid paraplegia, mild numbness and severe deep sensory disturbance in the lower limbs, bladder and bowel disturbance, mild muscle weakness in the fingers, myoclonus in the extremities, and CA. The PCR of COVID-19 was negative. Blood investigations showed elevated inflammatory markers with dehydration, rhabdomyolysis, and hypercoagulation. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis presented mild pleocytosis and elevated protein without anti-COVID-19 antibodies. Contrast-enhanced CT showed massive pulmonary embolisms and deep venous thromboses. Brain SPECT showed cerebellar hypoperfusion despite no abnormalities in brain MRI. Spine MRI revealed longitudinal hyperintense lesions mainly in the dorsal white matter, compatible with myelitis. Additional investigations of autoantibodies realized anti-GM3, TPI, GluR, and NMDAR IgG antibodies in serum, and anti-GluR and NMDAR IgG antibodies with increased granzyme B in CSF. Treatments of corticosteroid and intravenous immunoglobulin resulted in complete recovery to consciousness disturbance, muscle weakness of fingers, myoclonus, and CA, while paraparesis with deep sensory and bladder and bowel disturbance remained.Conclusions:
We highlight the possibility of the coexistence of several post-infectious autoimmune neurological complications in patients of COVID-19. It is important to search autoantibodies carefully corresponding to clinical manifestations for appropriate treatments and understanding of pathophysiology.
autoantibody; corticosteroid; endogenous compound; granzyme B; human immunoglobulin; immunoglobulin G antibody; n methyl dextro aspartic acid receptor; adult; bladder dysfunction; case report; cerebellar ataxia; cerebellum; cerebrospinal fluid; cerebrospinal fluid analysis; clinical article; clinical feature; complication; conference abstract; consciousness; contrast enhancement; coronavirus disease 2019; coughing; deep vein thrombosis; dehydration; fever; finger; gait; hospitalization; human; human tissue; hypercoagulability; hypesthesia; hypoxemia; intestine; lower limb; lung embolism; male; middle aged; muscle weakness; myelitis; myoclonus; neuroimaging; neurological complication; nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; pandemic; paraplegia; perfusion; pleocytosis; rhabdomyolysis; sensory dysfunction; single photon emission computed tomography; spine; white matter
Search on Google
Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
EMBASE
Type of study:
Case report
Language:
English
Journal:
Neurology
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS