Neurology® Podcast March 2025 Recall: Topics on Peripheral Neuropathy and Radiculopathy
Mar 1, 2025
Dr. Anne Oaklander, an Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard, discusses the connection between long COVID and small fiber neuropathy, shedding light on significant diagnostic challenges. She also shares effective management strategies. Dr. Carmel Armon from Loma Linda University tackles the efficacy of epidural steroid injections for spinal issues, presenting mixed results. The conversation highlights the importance of personalized treatment plans and improved research for managing neuropathic pain and conditions like diabetic neuropathy.
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Post-COVID Neuropathy
- New peripheral neuropathies seem to develop after COVID-19, termed "neuropathy incident to COVID."
- Most of these neuropathies begin within a month of COVID-19 onset, indicating a temporal association.
Testing for Long COVID Neuropathy
- Use skin biopsies and autonomic testing for long COVID neuropathy evaluations, as they are most revealing.
- EMG/NCS are less useful, being abnormal in only a small percentage of patients.
Disimmune Mechanism
- Autopsy studies showed inflammation, not direct neural infection, in long COVID patients.
- The body's reaction to the infection, not the infection itself, might cause neural damage.