Palpitations in the Pandemic

Abstract

The current pandemic caused by COVID, a primary respiratory pathogen, has resulted in a number of neurological manifestations following the infection. Reports of COVID positive patients with meningoencephalitis, Guillain Barre Syndrome and cerebrovascular accidents have surfaced over the past few months. Our patient, who developed respiratory involvement following infection with COVID, developed dysautonomia in the recovery phase, manifested as Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). The abnormal sympathetic skin response from lower limbs and an abnormal 30:15 ratio of RR interval in standing position shows the probable neuropathic aetiology of his POTS. Our case highlights the fact that this virus has multiple ways of affecting the nervous system and that a complaint of palpitations in a patient with COVID infection may be a neurological manifestation. In the scenario of the COVID pandemic and we need to be vigilant about dysautonomia as a probable complication of this infection.