News Scan for Mar 02, 2022

Study: 59% of long-COVID patients had nerve damageA retrospective study of 17 COVID-19 survivors with lingering symptoms reveals that 10 (59%) had nerve damage, which the researchers said could have been triggered by potentially treatable infection-related immune dysfunction.In the study, published yesterday in Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers analyzed data from long COVID patients with no history of neuropathy or risks of neuropathy who were referred for evaluation of peripheral neuropathy, meaning nerve damage not involving the brain or spinal cord.Patients were from 10 states and territories, and all but one had mild infections.

The study period was Feb 21, 2020, to Jan 19, 2021, and participants were tracked for, on average, 1.4 years. Average participant age was 43.3 years, 69% were female, 94% were White, and 19% were Latino.Ten had at least one test confirming neuropathy, including 63% of skin biopsies, 17% of electrodiagnostic tests, and 50% of autonomic function tests.

The critically ill patient was diagnosed as having axonal neuropathy, while another had multifocal demyelinating neuropathy 3 weeks after mild illness, and more than 10 had small-fiber neuropathy (SFN).Common neuropathy symptoms were weakness, sensory changes, and pain in the hands and feet, and many patients reported fatigue.Thirty-five percent of patients were given corticosteroids or intravenous immune globulins.

The five patients who received immunoglobulin G appeared to derive a benefit. Over time, 52% of participants improved, but none experienced total resolution."This report strengthens evidence linking several idiopathic multisymptom conditions—including SFN and