Stroke-mimic and scleroderma in "coup de sabre": Case report / Stroke-mimic y esclerodermia en «coup de sabre¼: reporte de caso

ABSTRACT A case is presented of an atypical manifestation of localized scleroderma. The patient is a 30-year-old Caucasian women with localized facial scleroderma "coup de sabre", with clinical stability foryears. She was seen in the Emergency Department due to a sudden lack of sensitivity in her left side, and was treated as a stroke. Complementary tests showed intracranial parenchymal images that were finally attributed to the localized scleroderma. After a comprehensive literature review, this presentation was more frequent than expected. This is why neurological symptoms should be carefully evaluated in these patients. This is the first stroke-mimic case reported.

RESUMEN A continuación, presentamos el caso de una paciente con una manifestación atípica para esclerodermia localizada. Mujer de 30 an˜ os con esclerodermia localizada facial en sabré¼, con estabilidad clínica de las lesiones durante an˜ os. En el 2017 acude al servicio de urgencias por un cuadro de alteración sensitiva en hemicuerpo izquierdo que fue tratada como un ictus. En los estudios complementarios se objetivaron lesiones parenquimatosas finalmente atribuibles a la esclerodermia localizada. Tras revisar la literatura, este tipo de lesiones es más frecuente de lo esperado, por lo que parece obligatorio dedicar más atención a los síntomas neurológicos en los pacientes con esclerodermia localizada. Este es el primer caso de stroke-mimic reportado.

Clinical spectrum and prognosis of neurological complications of reactivated varicella-zoster infection: the role of immunosuppression.

Immunosuppressed patients are at higher risk for developing herpes zoster (HZ), and neurological complications are frequent in them. However, the influence of immunosuppression (IS) on the severity and prognosis of neurological complications of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) reactivation is unknown. We studied retrospectively patients with neurological complications due to VZV reactivation who attended our hospital between 2004 and 2019. We aimed to assess the clinical spectrum, potential prognostic factors, and the influence of the immune status on the severity of neurological symptoms. A total of 98 patients were included (40% had IS). Fifty-five patients (56%) had cranial neuropathies which included Ramsay-Hunt syndrome (36 patients) and cranial multineuritis (23 patients). Twenty-one patients developed encephalitis (21%). Other diagnosis included radiculopathies, meningitis, vasculitis, or myelitis (15, 10, 6, and 4 patients, respectively). Mortality was low (3%). At follow-up, 24% of patients had persistent symptoms although these were usually mild. IS was associated with severity (defined as a modified Rankin scale greater than 2) (odds ratio, 4.23; 95% confidence interval, 1.74-10.27), but not with prognosis. Shorter latency between HZ and neurologic symptoms was the only factor associated with an unfavorable course (death or sequelae) (odds ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.71-0.95). In conclusion, the clinical spectrum of neurological complications in VZV reactivation is wide. Mortality was low and sequelae were mild. The presence of IS may play a role on the severity of neurological symptoms, and a shorter time between HZ and the onset of neurological symptoms appears to be a negative prognostic factor.