New-Onset Seizure With Possible Limbic Encephalitis in a Patient With COVID-19 Infection: A Case Report and Review

• Main Authors: Riwaj Bhagat MD, Barbara Kwiecinska MD, Nolan Smith BA, Matthew Peters BS, Christopher Shafer MD, Adriana Palade MD, Vishwanath Sagi MBBS, MPH
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2021-03-01
• Series: Journal of Investigative Medicine High Impact Case Reports
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/2324709620986302

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.