Department of Neurology, Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Basurto University Hospital, Vizcaya, Spain.
Department of Radiology, Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Basurto University Hospital, Vizcaya, Spain.
Eur J Neurol. 2021 Oct;28(10):3448-3451. doi: 10.1111/ene.14779. Epub 2021 Mar 8.
Disproportionate fear of contracting COVID-19 (coronaphobia) may result in inappropriate use of preventive measures that could, in turn, result in severe harm to the patient.
To describe a patient with subacute parkinsonism and cognitive dysfunction and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evidence of bilateral deep white matter and basal ganglia damage.
A 56-year-old female presented with a 4-week history of insomnia, cognitive decline, and parkinsonism. Brain MRI revealed a bilateral lesion of both globus pallidus, deep white matter, and cerebellar hemispheres. Her son reported that, for the previous month, she had been cleaning her facial mask three times a day with a pure methanol solution as a disinfectant due to an intense fear of acquiring COVID-19. Previously, she had used 97% isopropyl alcohol and had inadvertently switched to methanol. After the exposure ended, she slowly improved but 4 months later she remains severely disabled.
The repeated exposure to methanol vapor, the MRI findings, and the absence of other etiologies for her cognitive and parkinsonian features led to the diagnosis of chronic methanol intoxication with severe central nervous system damage. Misinformation is a likely contributory factor to such scenario. Efforts should be made by the scientific community to educate the general public on avoiding self-damaging behaviors as a result of coronaphobia.
对感染 COVID-19（新冠恐惧症）的过度恐惧可能导致预防措施不当，进而对患者造成严重伤害。
描述一例亚急性帕金森病和认知功能障碍患者，其磁共振成像（MRI）显示双侧深部白质和基底节损伤。
一名 56 岁女性因失眠、认知能力下降和帕金森病出现 4 周。脑部 MRI 显示双侧苍白球、深部白质和小脑半球均有病变。她的儿子报告说，在过去的一个月里，由于对感染 COVID-19 的强烈恐惧，她每天三次用纯甲醇溶液清洁面部口罩作为消毒剂。此前，她曾使用 97%异丙醇，不小心换成了甲醇。接触结束后，她逐渐好转，但 4 个月后仍严重残疾。
反复接触甲醇蒸气、MRI 结果以及缺乏其他导致认知和帕金森特征的病因，导致诊断为慢性甲醇中毒伴严重中枢神经系统损伤。错误信息可能是造成这种情况的一个促成因素。科学界应努力教育公众避免因新冠恐惧症而产生自我伤害行为。
