Correlation between CSF biomarkers and COVID-19 meningoencephalitis: A case series

Abstract

Background: Recent studies have focused on the incidence rate and pattern of meningoencephalitis in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Aim: This study aims to shed more light on the CSF pattern and clinical characteristics of meningoencephalitis COVID-19 patients in Zanjan, Iran. Methods: Nine cases of laboratory and imaging confirmed COVID-19 were admitted to Valiasr Hospitals in Zanjan, Iran. Data were collected from May 20, 2020 to June 20, 2020. Results: All the nine patients had positive RT-PCR COVID-19 and Pulmonary involvement who underwent Lumbar puncture and analysis, but despite neurological symptoms, the RT-PCR of CSF for COVID-19 was negative. Conclusion: Although we did not have any cases of positive RT-PCR for COVID-19 in lumbar puncture specimens, the justification of neurological symptoms in patients can be the transient presence of the virus in the CSF, and inflammation or autoimmune response caused by the virus, so more studies are needed to determine the cause of neurogenic symptoms.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• Meningoencephalitis
• Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction