Post-dural puncture headache: a prospective study on incidence, risk factors, and clinical characterization of 285 consecutive procedures.

BACKGROUND: Lumbar puncture (LP) is a common and relatively safe neurological procedure. It can be complicated by post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) after both diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The aim of this study is to identify the incidence, risk factors and clinical characterization of PDPH in the inpatient setting of the main tertiary neurology hospital in Kuwait. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational cohort study that included patients who were admitted to neurology department at Ibn Sina hospital, Kuwait, from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020, on whom, LP was performed for diagnostic and/or therapeutic reasons. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between PDPH and different clinical parameters. RESULTS: A total of 285 patients were included; 225 females (78.9%), mean age of 32.9 ± 11.7 years. PDPH was reported by 84 patients (29.5%), with mean headache onset of 1.7 ± 0.8 days, and mean duration of 2.4 ± 2.1 days. The commonest headache type was dull aching in 49 patients (58.3%). Headache severity was mild to moderate in 64 patients (76.2%), with mean NRS of 4.1 ± 0.9. Most PDPH (99.3%) resolved with conservative medical management, with only 2 patients (0.7%) requiring epidural blood patch. In multivariate logistic regression model, there was a statistically significant correlation between development of PDPH and young age (p = 0.001), female gender (p = 0 .001), low BMI (p < 0 .001), pre-LP headache (p = 0.001), history of previous PDPH (p = 0.001), and number of LP attempts (p < 0.001). PDPH was statistically significantly higher in patients with optic neuritis (p = 0.009), and cerebral venous thrombosis (p = 0.007), and lower in patients with peripheral neuropathy (p = 0.011) and spinal muscular atrophy (p = 0.042). CONCLUSIONS: Findings from clinical practice in the main tertiary neurology hospital in Kuwait were in line with literature findings. Younger age, female gender, lower BMI, pre-procedural headache, previous history of PDPH, and number of LP attempts were found to be independent risk factors for developing PDPH. To our knowledge, this study represents the first comprehensive description of PDPH in a population from the Arabian Gulf Region.

Safety and tolerability of the novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines among people with epilepsy (PwE): A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: People with epilepsy (PwE) were concerned about the safety of the novel 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) vaccines. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the side effects experienced by PwE following vaccination with COVID-19 vaccines and to identify the causes of vaccine hesitation. METHODS: We administered a questionnaire to PwE, who visited the epilepsy clinic at Ibn Sina Hospital in Kuwait during the first two working weeks of April 2021. It included socio-demographic, epilepsy status, and vaccination data. In addition, we asked those who were not vaccinated yet about the reasons and their plan. RESULTS: A total of 111 PwE were surveyed, with 82 being vaccinated and 29 being unvaccinated. Out of the 82 vaccinated, 66 (80.5%) reported at least one side effect. Patients who received the Pfizer BioNTech mRNA vaccine (BNT162b2) (first, second dosage); and the Oxford-AstraZenecaa chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored vaccine (ChAdOx1nCoV-19) (first dose) had the following reactions: Pain at the injection site (40%, 67.6%), 43.8%, fatigue (47%, 32.4%), 46.9%, Headache (33.3%, 35.3%), 34.4% and Myalgia (40%, 35%), 50% respectively. Local site effects, including pain (67.6% vs. 40%, p = < 0.001) and redness (26.5% vs 6.7%, p = 0.019), were more statistically significantly after the second dose of BNT162b2 vaccine compared to the first dose of the same vaccine. While there was no significant difference in systemic side effects frequencies between the two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine. The systemic side effects were more statistically significantly after the first dose of ChAdOx1nCoV-19 compared to the first dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine and those included fever (56.3% vs 13.3%, p = < 0.001), chills (37.5% vs 6.7%, p = < 0.001), myalgia (50% vs 40%, p = < 0.001) and arthralgia (25% vs 6.7%, p = 0.021). The local site reactions were not significantly different between the first doses of both vaccines. Among the subgroup who had vaccine-related side effects, 66.7% were females, 90.9% were 55 or younger, 63.6% were on polytherapy, 74% had side effects for one day or less, and 95% were symptoms free by the end of the first-week post-vaccination. Symptoms were mild in 68% of the patients and moderate in 29.3%. Most patients (93.9%) did not report seizure worsening after vaccination. The relative risk of seizure worsening after the first and second doses of BNT162b2 and the first dose of ChAdOx1nCoV-19 vaccines was 1.027 (95% CI 0.891-1.183), 1.019 (95% CI 0.928-1.119), and 1.026 (95% CI 0.929-1.134) respectively. After the first dose of BNT162b2, one patient reported the development of status epilepticus. Among the non-vaccinated group, 34.9% were still indecisive, while 37.9% rejected the vaccination. Fear of adverse effects (42.9%) and fear of epilepsy worsening (23.8%) were the main reasons for vaccine hesitation. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the two vaccines under consideration (BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1nCoV-19) have a good safety profile and a low risk of epilepsy worsening among a cohort of PwE in Kuwait.

Evaluation of clinical outcome and safety profile of edaravone in treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a 72-week single-center experience.

Edaravone is a free radical scavenger that has been recently approved for treatment of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to delay functional decline. We aim to evaluate edaravone efficacy and safety in ALS patients in the main neurology tertiary center in Kuwait over 72-week period. We conducted a prospective observational cohort study in the main tertiary hospital over 72-week period from July 2018 until January 2020. Patients were assessed at baseline, 24, 48 and 72 weeks of therapy using ALSFRS-R score, MRC sum score, FVC value, among other parameters. Seventeen consecutive patients were evaluated. All patients were assessed at baseline, 24 and 48 weeks, while 9 patients (52.9%) were further assessed at 72 weeks. There was a statistically significant decline of ALSFRS-R at 72 weeks, MRC sum score at 48 and 72 weeks, while the decline in FVC was not statistically significant. Glycosuria was found in only one patient. Our study showed significant functional decline after 1 year of edaravone therapy with preserved respiratory function. The drug had a high level of dissatisfaction among our cohort despite having a high safety profile.

CNS demyelination during tofacitinib therapy: First report.

Iatrogenic demyelination is a distinct clinical subtype of central nervous system inflammatory disorders. The Janus kinase inhibitor, tofacitinib, is an oral disease-modifying antirheumatic drug that has shown contradictory effects on multiple sclerosis in animal models. In this report, we describe a novel case of reversible multifocal CNS demyelination in a patient with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis on tofacitinib. Although the mechanism is not completely understood, activation of T17 cells by tofacitinib and the subsequent increased production of interleukin-17 could be the cause. Moreover, a link between TNF-α and JAK/STAT pathways has been suggested, which may further explain the occurrence of iatrogenic demyelination in this case.

Compressive Dorsal Myelopathy Secondary to Extramedullary Hematopoiesis in a Thalassemic Patient.

BACKGROUND: Extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) is one of the rare causes of spinal cord compression (SCC). It results from noncancerous proliferation of hematopoietic tissue outside the bone marrow as a compensatory mechanism for ineffective erythropoiesis. It occurs in the paraspinal area in 11-15% of thalassemic patients in intermediate and severe cases causing a paraspinal compressive mass. We present a rare case of spinal EMH with thoracic cord compression in a 22-year-old female with beta thalassemia who presented with paraparesis and we provide a review of literature. CASE REPORT: A 22-year-old female patient with a known history of beta thalassemia presented with subacute onset of weakness and numbness of both lower limbs with a sensory level at T6. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the dorsal spine showed cord compression secondary to paraspinal EMH from T2 to T9 with most prominent compression over T5. She was managed with blood transfusion and low-dose radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: Although rare, EMH should be suspected in thalassemic patients presenting with paraplegia. Treatment with blood transfusions is usually effective. Other options include radiotherapy, surgery, hydroxyurea or a combination of these modalities.

Cerebral Venous Thrombosis in a Patient with Iron Deficiency Anemia and Thrombocytopenia: A Case Report.

AIM: To report a potential association of thrombosis, thrombocytopenia with iron deficiency anaemia. CASE REPORT: A 43-year-old female experienced an episode of a headache, with bilateral papilledema by neurological examination, magnetic resonance venography (MRV) brain showed cerebrovenous thrombosis (CVT), iron deficiency anaemia and thrombocytopenia by blood investigations, that was treated with iron supplementations and anticoagulation. CONCLUSION: In this patient, cerebrovenous thrombosis (CVT) was discovered in a patient with thrombocytopenia and iron deficiency anaemia and treated with iron supplements and anticoagulation, we concluded that thrombocytopenia is not a protective factor against thrombosis especially with iron deficiency anaemia.