Hooshmandi E, Abolhasani Foroughi A, Poursadeghfard M, KianiAra F, Ostovan VR, Nazeri M.
Transverse Myelitis as a Rare Neurological Complication of Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Case Report and Literature Review.
Iran J Med Sci 2023;
48:219-226. [PMID:
36895458 PMCID:
PMC9989242 DOI:
10.30476/ijms.2022.92813.2419]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/25/2021] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
The novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is primarily a respiratory virus. However, an increasing number of neurologic complications associated with this virus have been reported, e.g., transverse myelitis (TM). We report a case of a 39-year-old man admitted to Namazi Hospital affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. In December 2020, the patient was infected with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). During hospitalization, the patient suffered from sudden onset of paraplegia, and urinary retention, and had a T6-T7 sensory level. TM was diagnosed and an extensive workup was performed to rule out other etiologies. Eventually, para-infectious TM associated with COVID-19 was concluded. The patient received pulse methylprednisolone therapy of 1 g/day for 10 consecutive days followed by seven sessions of plasma exchange without a favorable response. The patient then underwent regular physical rehabilitation and tapering oral administration of prednisolone 1 mg/Kg. As a result, weakness in the lower extremities improved slightly after six months. Overall, we suspect a correlation between COVID-19 and TM, however, further studies are required to substantiate the association.
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