Bulbar Onset Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in a COVID-19 Patient: A Case Report

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder with a largely unknown etiology. In this case, we are presenting an 84-year-old male patient who was admitted for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure secondary to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. He was neu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2023-04, Vol.15 (4), p.e37814
Main Authors: Abu-Abaa, Mohammad, Mousa, Aliaa, Chadalawada, Sindhu, Abdulsahib, Ali
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Case reports
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Infectious Disease
Magnetic resonance imaging
Neurology
Respiratory failure
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Summary:Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder with a largely unknown etiology. In this case, we are presenting an 84-year-old male patient who was admitted for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure secondary to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. He was neurologically intact. His infection improved and oxygen requirement was gradually weaned off allowing for discharge. However, he was admitted again a month later with progressive dysphagia and aspiration that were confirmed on videofluoroscopic study. He was also found to have mild dysarthria, bulbar muscle weakness, bilateral lower motor neuron facial nerve palsy, diffuse hyporeflexia on four extremities with intact sensory function. Diagnosis of ALS was suspected after extensive workup was pursued and ruled out nutritional, structural, autoimmune, infectious and inflammatory disorders. This case is only the third reported case in medical literature to suggest COVID-19 infection as a triggering/accelerating factor of ALS progression.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.37814