COVID-19 pandemic revealed several neurological syndromes related to this infection. We describe the clinical, laboratory, and radiological features of eight patients with COVID-19 who developed peripheral facial palsy during infection. In three patients, facial palsy was the first symptom. Nerve damage resulted in mild dysfunction in five patients and moderate in three. SARS-Cov-2 was not detected in CSF by PCR in any of the samples. Seven out of eight patients were treated with steroids and all patients have complete or partial recovery of the symptoms. Peripheral facial palsy should be added to the spectrum of neurological manifestations associated with COVID-19.
Highlights
Patients with COVID-19 and neurological manifestations have diverse CSF profiles.
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the cerebrospinal fluid is infrequent.
Oligoclonal bands are found in CSF of COVID-19 patients with neurological diseases.
CNS inflammation promotes neuronal injury in patients with COVID-19.
CSF levels of NfL is elevated in inflammatory neurological diseases in COVID-19.
SARS-CoV-2 replication in CNS may trigger the infiltration by immune cells.
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