HEV-Associated Neuralgic Amyotrophy: A Multicentric Case Series

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Infectious Diseases
• Hepatology

Background:

• Neuralgic amyotrophy (NA) is a potential extrahepatic manifestation of Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection.
• HEV-associated NA typically presents bilaterally, but clinical characteristics influencing its course remain undefined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define the clinical characteristics of HEV-associated NA.
• To compare patients with HEV-associated NA to those without NA.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective multicentric case series of 16 patients with HEV-associated NA.
• Comparison with 176 HEV patients without NA regarding age, sex, and ALT levels.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in gender or age between NA patients and controls.
• 50% of NA patients had bilateral involvement; 81% were hospitalized.
• Treatment varied widely (IVIg, glucocorticoids, ribavirin, pregabalin/gabapentin); older patients were more likely to receive treatment.

Conclusions:

• HEV-associated NA leads to significant morbidity.
• Treatment type and initiation time did not affect hospitalization duration or disease course.
• Variability in presentation and management necessitates standardized protocols for HEV-associated NA.