A presumed case of new-onset focal seizures as a delayed complication of COVID-19 infection

Sihyeong Park; Haroon Majoka; Ajaz Sheikh; Imran Ali

doi:10.1016/j.ebr.2021.100447

A presumed case of new-onset focal seizures as a delayed complication of COVID-19 infection

Epilepsy Behav Rep. 2021:16:100447. doi: 10.1016/j.ebr.2021.100447. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Authors

Sihyeong Park¹, Haroon Majoka¹, Ajaz Sheikh¹, Imran Ali¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Neurology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.

Abstract

Previously seizures have been reported as presenting neurological manifestation with COVID-19 infection. There is a growing literature on the delayed neurologic effects of COVID-19 infection. Here, we report a case with insidious onset of focal impaired awareness seizures associated with left temporal epileptiform interictal and ictal discharges consistent with focal epilepsy; occurring within a short time frame of the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection. This may be possibly a post COVID-19 inflammatory syndrome manifesting as new onset focal epilepsy with focal non-motor seizures with impaired awareness. As implicated by presentation with seizure as in our case, longterm follow-up studies are warranted to further investigate if the patients who acquire COVID-19 infection are at increased risk of developing epilepsy as a delayed manifestation.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Temporal lobe epilepsy.

Publication types

Case Reports