Cognitive Complaints Assessment and Neuropsychiatric Disorders After Mild COVID-19 Infection.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze cognitive impairment associated with long-term coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) syndrome and its correlation with anxiety, depression, and fatigue in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 127 patients with COVID-19. Tests to screen for neuropsychiatric symptoms included the Fatigue Severity Scale, Mini-Mental State Exam 2 (MMSE-2), Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. RESULTS: In cognitive tests, SDMT was abnormal in 22%, being more sensitive than MMSE-2 to detect cognitive changes. Furthermore, although manifestations such as fatigue, depression, and anxiety were frequent in the post-COVID-19 phase, these 3 conditions, known to contribute to cognitive impairment, were slightly correlated with worse performance on the rapid screening tests. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with mild COVID-19 and cognitive complaints, SDMT helped to confirm disturbances in the attention domain and processing speed.

Post-COVID-19 olfactory dysfunction: carbamazepine as a treatment option in a series of cases.

Olfactory dysfunction is reported frequently in patients with coronavirus disease 2019. However, an effective treatment for this dysfunction is unknown. The present study evaluated carbamazepine as a treatment option for olfactory dysfunction based on its use in cases of neuralgia, especially of the V cranial nerve. The study included 10 patients with coronavirus disease with olfactory complaints who were part of a cohort of 172 coronavirus disease patients monitored for late neurological manifestations. Carbamazepine was administered for 11 weeks. The adverse effects reported were drowsiness (9/10) and dizziness (2/10); 9 of the 10 patients reported improved olfactory function after carbamazepine treatment. While the role of carbamazepine in the control of post-coronavirus disease olfactory dysfunction could not be confirmed in this study, the satisfactory response observed in most patients in this series suggests that further studies are warranted.

Xantomatose cerebrotendínea: uma doença rara e multissistêmica ainda pouco conhecida. Quando devemos suspeitar? / Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis: a rare and multisystemic disease still little known. When should we suspect?

Xantomatose cerebrotendínea (XCT) é uma doença congênita autossômica recessiva rara multissistêmica do me-tabolismo do ácido biliar que leva ao acúmulo de intermediários do colesterol em diversos tecidos. A principal ma-nifestação da doença é o acometimento neurológico progressivo e irreversível, que inicia na infância e evolui com disfunção neurológica grave na fase adulta. Sintomas não neurológicos característicos como xantomas tendíneos, cataratas de início na infância e diarreia crônica infantil também podem estar presentes. No Brasil, não existe te-rapia medicamentosa para a doença. A principal abordagem terapêutica para retardar a progressão do quadro é o acompanhamento multidisciplinar com o objetivo de melhorar a qualidade de vida. Apesar dos sintomas iniciarem na infância, a maioria dos pacientes demora em média 16 anos para receber o diagnóstico, fase na qual o dano neurológico já é extenso e as abordagens terapêuticas não são mais eficazes. Neste estudo é relatado o caso de paciente de 47 anos com XCT que iniciou os sintomas na infância, com piora neurológica aos 38 anos e diagnóstico aos 44 anos, fase na qual a neurodegeneração já era grave e irreversível. Os testes laboratoriais e Imagem de Res-sonância Magnética indicaram alterações características da doença. Ressalta-se a importância de ter a XTC como diagnóstico diferencial na presença de um quadro neurológico progressivo, amplo e variado, associado com xanto-mas tendíneos e outros sinais e sintomas específicos. Por tratar-se de doença crônica e degenerativa, o diagnóstico precoce é essencial para que se possa instituir medidas que melhorem a qualidade de vida (AU)

Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) is a rare, multisystemic autosomal-recessive disease of biliary acid me-tabolism that leads to accumulation of cholesterol intermediates in multiple tissues. Its primary presentation is progressive and irreversible neurological damage, beginning in childhood and progressing to neurological dys-function in adulthood. There also are characteristic non-neurological symptoms, including tendinous xanthomas, cataracts beginning in childhood, and chronic infantile diarrhea. In Brazil, there is no available treatment for CTX. The primary therapeutic approach to slow disease progression is a palliative one, with multidisciplinary team. While CTX symptoms begin in childhood, most patients are diagnosed at approximately age 16, when neurological damage is extensive and therapeutic approaches are no longer effective. Here, we report a case of a 47-year-old female patient with CTX with symptoms beginning in childhood, with neurological worsening at the age of 38 and diagnosis at 44, at which neurodegeneration was already severe and irreversible. Laboratory tests and magnetic resonance imaging indicated characteristic symptoms. It is important to consider CTX as a differential diagnosis in the presence of a progressive, wide, and varied neurological picture, with tendinous xanthomas and other specific symptoms. Because it is a chronic and degenerative disease, early diagnosis is essential to establish measures to improve the quality of life (AU)