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Case Reports
. 2021 Oct;268(10):3517-3548.
doi: 10.1007/s00415-021-10458-0. Epub 2021 Feb 22.

Myoclonus and cerebellar ataxia associated with COVID-19: a case report and systematic review

Jason L Chan  1 , Keely A Murphy  2 , Justyna R Sarna  3   4
Affiliations
Case Reports

Myoclonus and cerebellar ataxia associated with COVID-19: a case report and systematic review

Jason L Chan et al. J Neurol. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Background: Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in December 2019, neurological manifestations have been recognized as potential complications. Relatively rare movement disorders associated with COVID-19 are increasingly reported in case reports or case series. Here, we present a case and systematic review of myoclonus and cerebellar ataxia associated with COVID-19.

Methods: A systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline using the PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE databases, from November 1, 2019 to December 6, 2020.

Results: 51 cases of myoclonus or ataxia associated with COVID-19, including our case, were identified from 32 publications. The mean age was 59.6 years, ranging from 26 to 88 years, and 21.6% were female. Myoclonus was multifocal or generalized and had an acute onset, usually within 1 month of COVID-19 symptoms. Myoclonus occurred in isolation (46.7%), or with ataxia (40.0%) or cognitive changes (30.0%). Most cases improved within 2 months, and treatment included anti-epileptic medications or immunotherapy. Ataxia had an acute onset, usually within 1 month of COVID-19 symptoms, but could be an initial symptom. Concurrent neurological symptoms included cognitive changes (45.5%), myoclonus (36.4%), or a Miller Fisher syndrome variant (21.2%). Most cases improved within 2 months, either spontaneously or with immunotherapy.

Conclusions: This systematic review highlights myoclonus and ataxia as rare and treatable post-infectious or para-infectious, immune-mediated phenomena associated with COVID-19. The natural history is unknown and future investigation is needed to further characterize these movement disorders and COVID-19.

Keywords: Central nervous system; Cortical; Movement disorders; Post-infectious; SARS-CoV-2; Subcortical.

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Conflict of interest statement

No conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, are declared by the authors.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flowchart detailing the selection of publications for this systematic review of myoclonus and ataxia associated with COVID-19
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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