DEMYELINATING DISEASE AFTER COVID-19 INFECTION

Abstract

SARS-COV-2 is a neurotropic virus that can trigger a large-scale outbreak of neurological complications in the future. SARS-COV-2 virus has neuroinvasive and neurotropic properties allow it to enter the central nervous system (CNS) and infect neurons, accumulate in nervous tissue and promote the development of delayed neurodegenerative processes. Among the neurological complications of SARS-CoV-2 to date, we can distinguish a group of demyelinating lesions of the CNS. The paper describes two cases of severe COVID-19, which were accompanied by neurological disorders and multifocal white matter lesions on MRI, which may correspond to demyelinating CNS disease. Both cases may be a manifestation of an acute infectious demyelinating process associated with COVID-19, as the clinical picture was appropriate, and neuroimaging showed multifocal lesions of the white matter. Other clinical signs confi rming this diagnosis were previously confi rmed acute viral COVID-19 infection and the absence of a history of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis in both patients. Monitoring such patients can help to understand better and identify factors in the early stages of the disease and to predict its progression. In the future, it will also allow the development of eff ective treatment strategies and the ability to reduce the risk of demyelinating process or its progression during SARS-CoV-2 infection.