Abstract
BACKGROUND: Long COVID-19 is associated with a diverse range of debilitating neuropathic and autonomic symptoms that may indicate small fibre neuropathy (SFN). We aimed to assess the utility of multimodal non-invasive electrodiagnostic techniques in evaluating symptomatic individuals. METHODS: People with confirmed long COVID-19 who scored >10 points on the Small Fibre Neuropathy Screening List (SFNSL) questionnaire underwent routine neurophysiological testing and a non-invasive SFN protocol of (a) sympathetic skin responses, (b) cutaneous silent period, (c) quantitative thermal thresholds and (d) electrochemical skin conductance. Clinical and demographic information was collected on all individuals who underwent comprehensive physical and psychometric evaluation, including a 6-min walk test, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lean Test, Composite Autonomic Symptom Score-31 (COMPASS-31), European Quality of Life 5-Dimension 5-Level Questionnaire (ED-5D-5L), Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) score and Patient Health (depression) Questionnaire (PHQ-9). RESULTS: We assessed nine individuals, of whom three (33%) had neurophysiological evidence of SFN. Median age was 47.8 (range 26.3-67.6) years, duration from COVID-19 infection 23.0 (range 8.5-35.7) months and median SFNSL 34/84. All individuals scored highly in disability measures. CONCLUSIONS: Long COVID-19 is associated with functional disability and reduced quality of life. SFN should be considered in all individuals with a suggestive clinical phenotype of neuropathic and autonomic symptoms.