New-Onset Seizures in Patients With COVID-19: A Case Series From a Single Public Hospital in Korea

Seizure is an uncommon complication of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The frequency and characteristics of new-onset seizures in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were investigated. Of a total of 1,487 patients with confirmed COVID-19, six (0.4%) developed new-onset seizures. All six had severe or critical COVID-19 requiring intensive care and mechanical ventilation or high-flow oxygen therapy. Among COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (n = 169), the incidence of new-onset seizures was 3.6%. Underlying structural lesions (acute infarction and remote hemorrhage), hypoxia, sepsis, and metabolic derangements were associated with the development of seizures. Of the six patients, three patients died, and, at the time of discharge, one patient had a severe disability, while the remaining two were well recovered.