New-Onset Seizure With Possible Limbic Encephalitis in a Patient With COVID-19 Infection: A Case Report and Review
Riwaj Bhagat, Barbara Kwiecińska, Nolan Smith, Matthew E. Peters, Christopher Shafer, Adriana Palade, Vishwanath Sagi
Abstract
With the outbreak of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) as a global pandemic, various of its neurological manifestations have been reported. We report a case of a 54-year-old male with new-onset seizure who tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 from a nasopharyngeal swab sample. Investigative findings, which included contrast-enhancing right posterior temporal lobe T2-hyperintensity on brain magnetic resonance imaging, right-sided lateralized periodic discharges on the electroencephalogram, and elevated protein level on cerebrospinal fluid analysis, supported the diagnosis of possible encephalitis from COVID-19 infection. The findings in this case are placed in the context of the existing literature.