Unexplained worsening of parkinsonian symptoms in a patient with advanced Parkinson’s disease as the sole initial presentation of COVID-19 infection: a case report

The Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery

Mohamed Ibrahim¹  Ismail Ibrahim Ismail¹  Jasem Y. Al-Hashel²  Walaa A. Kamel³ 

[1] Department of Neurology, Ibn Sina Hospital, Gamal Abdel Nasser Street, Sabah Medical Area, Sabah, Kuwait;Department of Neurology, Ibn Sina Hospital, Gamal Abdel Nasser Street, Sabah Medical Area, Sabah, Kuwait;Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait;Department of Neurology, Ibn Sina Hospital, Gamal Abdel Nasser Street, Sabah Medical Area, Sabah, Kuwait;Department of Neurology, Beni-Suef University, Beni Suef, Egypt;

关键词: COVID-19;    SARS-CoV-2;    Parkinson’s disease;    Parkinsonism;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s41983-021-00314-3

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundParkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition that has been reported following viral infections in rare occasions. Several neurological complications have emerged in association with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), since its declaration as a pandemic. Herein, we present a novel case of unexplained worsening of PD as the sole initial presentation of COVID-19, in the absence of fever or respiratory symptoms.Case presentationA 56-year-old male with advanced PD presented with severe rigidity, dystonic posturing of both feet, and confusion of 4 days duration. His condition progressed to an akinetic-rigid state and confusion during the following week, and a routine nasopharyngeal swab tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on the 9th day of onset. He developed fever and dyspnea later and was intubated on the 10th day.ConclusionTo our knowledge, worsening of PD symptoms as the sole initial manifestation of SARS-CoV-2 infection, in the absence of other cardinal features of COVID-19, has not been reported in the literature. We suggest testing for COVID-19 infection in patients with PD, especially advanced cases, who present with unexplained worsening of symptoms, even in the absence of COVID-19 cardinal features.

【 授权许可】

CC BY