Case report: Headache and COVID-19

Abstract text (incl. figure legends and references)

Introduction: Neurological complications are not rare in patients who survived COVID-19 .On the other hand, ophthalmologists say that ocular manifestations should not be neglected.

Case report: We report the case of a 45- year-old male patient COVID-19 positive one month ago, without any other comorbidities, who presents in the Emergency Room in a stuporous state and bilateral midriasis after a tonic bilateral epileptic seizure. Two hours later he was lucid and oriented, without any focal neurological deficit but bilateral midriasis persisted. The patient complained severe, holocranial throbbing headache with dizziness, nausea and significant visual blurring. Ophthalmological examination reveals bilateral optic disc oedema, peripapillary hemorrhagic petechiae and venous tortuosity. Brain MRI , Angio- MRI and EEG resulted normal. The patient is treated with a high-dose of corticosteroids for three days and acetazolamide. After treatment he has no other complaints and the headache is less severe. We scheduled a follow-up with fundoscopy, after being treated with acetazolamide for 10 days.

Discussion: Headache is one of the frequent neurological symptoms associated with COVID-19. In the absence of evidence of infectious or vascular disease, pseudotumor cerebri should be considered. Several studies suggest that patients with COVID-19 have vascular retinal lesions ,including flame shaped haemorrhages, peripapillary petechie and acute retinal ischaemia.

Conclusion : Further research is needed for COVID-19 and the possible neurological or ocular complications.It is important to consider pseudotumor cerebri in a patient with severe headache after COVID-19 and to perform a fundoscopy if indicated.