PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Anne Louise Oaklander
AU  - Alexander J. Mills
AU  - Mary Kelley
AU  - Lisa S. Toran
AU  - Bryan Smith
AU  - Marinos C. Dalakas
AU  - Avindra Nath
TI  - Peripheral Neuropathy Evaluations of Patients With Prolonged Long COVID
AID  - 10.1212/NXI.0000000000001146
DP  - 2022 May 01
TA  - Neurology - Neuroimmunology Neuroinflammation
PG  - e1146
VI  - 9
IP  - 3
4099  - http://nn.neurology.org/content/9/3/e1146.short
4100  - http://nn.neurology.org/content/9/3/e1146.full
SO  - Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm2022 May 01; 9
AB  - Background and Objectives Recovery from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection appears exponential, leaving a tail of patients reporting various long COVID symptoms including unexplained fatigue/exertional intolerance and dysautonomic and sensory concerns. Indirect evidence links long COVID to incident polyneuropathy affecting the small-fiber (sensory/autonomic) axons.Methods We analyzed cross-sectional and longitudinal data from patients with World Health Organization (WHO)-defined long COVID without prior neuropathy history or risks who were referred for peripheral neuropathy evaluations. We captured standardized symptoms, examinations, objective neurodiagnostic test results, and outcomes, tracking participants for 1.4 years on average.Results Among 17 patients (mean age 43.3 years, 69% female, 94% Caucasian, and 19% Latino), 59% had ≥1 test interpretation confirming neuropathy. These included 63% (10/16) of skin biopsies, 17% (2/12) of electrodiagnostic tests and 50% (4/8) of autonomic function tests. One patient was diagnosed with critical illness axonal neuropathy and another with multifocal demyelinating neuropathy 3 weeks after mild COVID, and ≥10 received small-fiber neuropathy diagnoses. Longitudinal improvement averaged 52%, although none reported complete resolution. For treatment, 65% (11/17) received immunotherapies (corticosteroids and/or IV immunoglobulins).Discussion Among evaluated patients with long COVID, prolonged, often disabling, small-fiber neuropathy after mild SARS-CoV-2 was most common, beginning within 1 month of COVID-19 onset. Various evidence suggested infection-triggered immune dysregulation as a common mechanism.