Increased seizure frequency as an unusual manifestation of COVID-19 in adult cerebral palsy: Case Report

Bilinc Dogruoz Karatekin^¹, Afitap Icagasioglu²

^¹Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Prof Dr Suleyman Yalcin City Hospital, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic, Istanbul, Turkey - ^²Istanbul Medeniyet University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Istanbul, Turkey

Introduction: There is a wide range of symptoms of COVID-19 in the literature. The most common neurological manifestations are confusion, headache and loss of sense of taste and smell. Only a few studies described seizures in COVID-19 patients. Individuals with severe cerebral palsy have difficulties in expressing their complaints due to mental retardation, cognition problems or speech problems, so these patients also experience diagnostic delays in their internal problems. This case report emphasize the need for increased awareness of neurological symptoms in adult disabled individuals.

Case presentation: A 41-year-old spastic bilateral cerebral palsy patient who is  wheelchair dependent with known mental retardation, vision, speech problems, epilepsy and osteoporosis was evaluated at the emergency service upon his recurrent seizure episodes, and a thorax CT and PCR was performed due to coarseness in the lung sounds in the examination. CT findings compatible with COVID-19 pneumonia and PCR result were positive. The patient has not had a seizure after 2nd day of the treatment. He was followed up stably and discharged on the 5th day of his hospitalization.

Conclusion: There may be an increase in neurological findings, neurological symptoms may be the sign of presentation of COVID-19. There is a need for increased awareness of neurological symptoms in adult disabled individuals.