MDS 2022 | COVID-19 and movement disorders

Susanne Schneider, MD, PhD, University Hospital Munich, Munich, Germany, discusses the relationship between COVID-19 and movement disorders. COVID-19 can present a broad range of clinical presentations, including various neurological manifestations, such as cerebrovascular disorders, encephalopathies, movement disorders, and neuropsychiatric complications. An increasing body of literature reports movement disorders in the context of COVID-19, which may occur during the acute phase or as potential long-term consequences. The clinical phenotype includes both hypo- and hyperkinetic movement disorders, with myoclonus being the most frequently reported manifestation with onset in the acute phase. Additionally, because of the Spanish flu and the subsequent wave of encephalitis lethargica in the 1920s, there is concern that COVID-19 infection may precipitate a neurodegenerative process leading to the development of parkinsonism or a neurodegenerative disorder in the long term. This interview took place at the 2022 International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders in Madrid, Spain.

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