Facial Nerve Palsy as a Neurological Manifestation of COVID-19

Alfredo Santos Pinheiro Martins; Francisco Javier Fanjul Losa; Helem Haydee Vilchez Rueda; Mercedes García-Gasalla

doi:10.4103/jgid.jgid_360_20

Facial Nerve Palsy as a Neurological Manifestation of COVID-19

J Glob Infect Dis. 2021 Aug 7;13(4):183-185. doi: 10.4103/jgid.jgid_360_20. eCollection 2021 Oct-Dec.

Authors

Alfredo Santos Pinheiro Martins¹, Francisco Javier Fanjul Losa¹, Helem Haydee Vilchez Rueda¹, Mercedes García-Gasalla¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases Unit, Hospital Universitario Son Espases, Palma, Mallorca, Spain.

Abstract

Facial nerve palsy is the most frequent acute mononeuropathy and it is often of viral etiology, although many other causes have been identified. It has recently been described as a potential manifestation of COVID-19. We report the case of a patient with recent history of diarrhea and malaise that was admitted to the hospital presenting right facial paresis with orbicular muscle involvement. Nasopharyngeal swab tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on the real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and magnetic resonance imaging showed no structural changes. During the hospital stay, the patient showed clinical improvement, and no other symptoms were observed. This case presentation suggests a possible association between neuropathies and SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Keywords: COVID-19; Case; facial; mononeuropathy; report.

Publication types

Case Reports