A Case of Acute Encephalitis in COVID-19 Patient: A Rare Complication

Sarmast, Shah T; Mohamed, Alaa S; Amar, Zain; Sarwar, Sobia; Ahmed, Zahoor

Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease, has a variable presentation, and neurological involvement in COVID-19 is not widely reported. We report a rare case of acute encephalitis in a COVID-19 patient presented with fever, dry cough, and dyspnea. She had a fever, tachypnea, and tachycardia. On auscultation, she had scattered wheezing in both lung fiends. Chest X-ray revealed small infiltrates in the lower lobe of both lungs. A nasopharyngeal swab for the COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction was positive. Later on, she developed sudden onset confusion accompanied by restlessness and visual hallucinations. Neurological examination revealed an altered level of consciousness, slight trembling of the limbs, psychomotor restlessness, and poor speech with no signs of meningeal irritation. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed diffuse hyperintense signals. A possible diagnosis of acute encephalitis was made due to concurrent COVID-19 infection and lack of other findings suggesting a diagnosis other than COVID-19. She was treated with azithromycin, tocilizumab, and methylprednisolone. Her condition started improving gradually.