Implications of anti ‐ganglioside antibodies in isolated dysphagia following COVID‐19 infection: Case series

We report particular cases of three patients with unexplained dysphagia after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnosis, who all showed linkage to anti-ganglioside antibodies against the NeuNAc( Π± 2-3)Gal as possible causes. AbstractBackgroundThere have been multiple reports about the occurrence of dysphagia after the contraction of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, a detailed pathology and epidemiologic relation between COVID-19 infection and dysphagia have yet to be established. Here, we report three cases of unexplained dysphagia after COVID-19 diagnosis, with atypical clinical presentations.Case reportAll patients showed severe isolated lower cranial nerve involvement with dysphagia and aspiration, which required full tube feeding but showed no evidence of limb weakness or sensory symptoms. All tested positive for anti-ganglioside antibody tests, which all commonly (GD1b, GM1, and GQ1b) are known to have terminal NeuNAc( α2-3)Gal epitope.DiscussionWe report a series of cases featuring severe, isolated dysphagia post-COVID-19 infection, concomitant with positive anti-ganglioside antibodies. One potential etiology is a variant of Guillain –Barré syndrome. Because only isolated dysphagia with sparing of the facial and extraocular muscles was evident in these cases, we explore the association between anti-ganglioside antibodies specific to NeuNAc(α2-3)Gal, which has been frequently associated with the development of bulbar dysfunct ion. Given that N...
Source: Brain and Behavior - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: BRIEF REPORT Source Type: research