Case Report: Transverse Myelitis following COVID-19

A case report was recently published of a 60-year-old man who received a diagnosis of transverse myelitis after infection with SARS-CoV2, which is the coronavirus that has been spreading throughout the world. He was admitted to the hospital with respiratory symptoms and was given a throat swab test that showed he was positive for the virus. He recovered from COVID-19 pneumonia and was sent home after five days. Three days later, he was unable to urinate and had weakness in his legs. The man was unable to walk unassisted and had other signs of spinal cord dysfunction. An MRI of his spine showed a lesion at T9 consistent with myelitis. He had no lesions in the brain. He had a spinal tap which showed that his cerebrospinal fluid had an increased cell count and protein levels, also consistent with myelitis. The coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) was not found in his cerebrospinal fluid, and all other testing for other bacteria and viruses was negative.

He was treated with an intravenous antiviral medication and an antibiotic, but this treatment was stopped after 8 days when no infectious agents were found in his cerebrospinal fluid. He improved slightly after three days. On the 7th day, he was given a lower dose of steroids than is typically given in transverse myelitis because of the known prior infection with the virus. He then improved rapidly. He was discharged after 13 days with some sensation impairments, but he had normal bladder function and was able to walk independently. The authors of the report believe this was not the case of a direct infection of SARS-CoV-2 into the spinal cord, but an overreaction of the immune system to the virus (i.e., post-infectious myelitis).

We will continue to monitor cases of neuroimmune issues after COVID-19 and will share with our community as we hear about them. For additional information, please visit our COVID-19 page.

Munz M, Wessendorf S, Koretsis G, et al. Acute transverse myelitis after COVID-19 pneumonia. J Neurol. 2020 May 26;1-2.