Transient Global Amnesia as a Possible First Manifestation of COVID-19

Abstract

Evidence of involvement of the nervous system in COVID-19 disease is accumulating. We describe a case of a 53-year-old man presented with classic syndrome of transient global amnesia with symptoms lasting less than 24 hours and mild transient unexplained fever. Workup including brain MRI, electroencephalogram, and chest X ray was negative and the patient was discharged. The day after discharge, the patient started to experience the classic respiratory and systemic COVID-19 illness and was eventually readmitted with hypoxic respiratory failure and positive COVID-19 test a week after the first hospital discharge. The case highlights the importance of neurological syndromes as presenting prodrome to the respiratory illness of COVID-19.