Possible role of COVID-19 in the relapse of Klein-Levin Syndrome

• Main Authors: Adeel Nasrullah, Anam Javed, Obaid Ashraf, Khalid Malik
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-01-01
• Series: Respiratory Medicine Case Reports
• Subjects: Klein-Levin syndrome; Hyperosmnia; COVID-19
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213007121001076

Klein-Levin Syndrome (KLS) is an extremely rare neurological disorder which can manifest as recurring spells of sleepiness, cognitive disturbances and behavioral changes. We present a novel case of KLS relapse in the setting of Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). A 36-year-old male who had a known history of KLS since adolescence was admitted with sleepiness and behavioral disturbances. Brain imaging and autoimmune encephalitis work was unremarkable. The patient was diagnosed with a relapse of KLS secondary to COVID-19 based on symptomology and lack of any other precipitating factor. The patient required 8 days of hospitalization and was treated with benzodiazepines due to a history of robust response to lorazepam during a prior episode. The patient progressively improved and was discharged home on lorazepam taper. We report that similar to other neurotropic viruses, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) could be the culprit in instigating KLS relapse.