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Chronic severe methanol intoxication after repeated mask cleansing due to fear of COVID‐19: A new risk of coronaphobia
Author(s) -
ErburuIriarte Markel,
RodrigoArmenteros Patricia,
OyarzunIrazu Iñigo,
AranzabalAlustiza Ines,
SilvarreyRodriguez Saul,
AntónMéndez Lander,
GarcíaMoncó Juan Carlos
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
european journal of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.881
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1468-1331
pISSN - 1351-5101
DOI - 10.1111/ene.14779
Subject(s) - medicine , white matter , parkinsonism , hyperintensity , globus pallidus , pediatrics , magnetic resonance imaging , psychiatry , anesthesia , basal ganglia , pathology , central nervous system , radiology , disease
Background 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. Objective 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. Case presentation 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. Conclusions 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.