Spinal cord involvement in COVID-19: A review
Ravindra Kumar Garg, Vimal Kumar Paliwal, Ankit Gupta
Abstract
A variety of COVID-19-related spinal cord manifestations, such as acute transverse myelitis, acute necrotizing myelitis, SARS-CoV-2 myelitis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, hypoxic myelopathy, MOG antibody-associated myelitis, spinal cord infarction, and spinal epidural abscess, have been reported. The possible mechanisms of this involvement being direct invasion, cytokine storm, coagulopathy, and an autoimmune response. However, response to treatment has been generally unsatisfactory, with many patients having residual weakness necessitating long-term rehabilitation.
Topics & Concepts
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)2019-20 coronavirus outbreakSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)Spinal cordMedicineNeuroscienceVirologyPsychologyPathologyInfectious disease (medical specialty)DiseaseOutbreakLong-Term Effects of COVID-19Spinal Cord Injury ResearchIntensive Care Unit Cognitive Disorders