Article type: Case Report
Article title: Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia following Coronavirus Disease 2019 Infection
Journal: International Journal of Advanced Medical and Health Research
Year: 2023
Authors: Komudi Sapru, Ana Leticia Fornari Caprara, Jamir Pitton Rissardo
E-mail: jamirrissardo@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is a rare and painful syndrome that affects the sensory distribution of the glossopharyngeal nerve. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first discovered in the Wuhan province of China in November 2019 and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in early 2020. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus strain that was responsible for COVID-19, may affect the central nervous system and cause neurological manifestations. We report a case of a 46-year-old female presenting with pain in her right ear and pharynx on swallowing, coughing, and sneezing. On physical examination, normocephaly, normal hearing, no oropharyngeal lesions, and bilaterally normal tonsils were observed. On neurologic examination, her speech was fluent without any abnormalities and testing revealed COVID-19 positivity. Cranial computed tomography scan, brain and spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cranial magnetic resonance angiogram, and soft-tissue neck MRI with and without contrast were unremarkable. Carbamazepine was initiated for neuropathic pain with success. Heightened awareness and early recognition of neurological complications related to SARS-CoV-2 infection may improve the prognosis. Monitoring the long-term nervous system complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection, including psychological and neurocognitive domains, is also necessary.
Keywords: Carbamazepine, coronavirus disease 2019, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, neurologic complications, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Full text available at:
DOI
10.4103/ijamr.ijamr_160_23
Citation
Sapru K, Caprara AL, Rissardo JP. Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia following coronavirus disease 2019 infection. Int J Adv Med Health Res 2023;10:108-11.
Figure 1. Potential neuroinvasive pathways for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. ACE2: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, BBB: Blood–brain barrier, B-CSF: Blood-cerebrospinal fluid, CVO: Circumventricular organs, TVS: Transsynaptic viral spreading.