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CC BY 4.0 · Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2023; 81(07): 700
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1771166
Images in Neurology

Surgical mask-induced dyskinesia: a rare COVID-19 pandemics complication

Discinesia induzida pela máscara cirúrgica: rara complicação da pandemia da COVID-19
Thiago Yoshinaga Tonholo Silva 
1   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Setor de Neurologia Geral e Ataxias, Disciplina de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
,
Lucas de Oliveira Cantaruti Guida 
1   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Setor de Neurologia Geral e Ataxias, Disciplina de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
,
José Luiz Pedroso 
1   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Setor de Neurologia Geral e Ataxias, Disciplina de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
,
Orlando Graziani Povoas Barsottini 
1   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Setor de Neurologia Geral e Ataxias, Disciplina de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
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A 64-year-old man presented with involuntary oromandibular movements since the start of the COVID-19 pandemics. Whenever the patient has worn a mask, he started the abnormal movements of the jaw, that promptly improved when he took off the mask ([Video 1]). The patient was unaware of the movements and did not feel any urge to perform them, no tongue movement was observed, and there were no other relieving maneuvers. Apart from the oromandibular dyskinesia (OMD), neurological examination was normal.

Video 1 Patient with involuntary and repetitive jaw movements while wearing a surgical mask. There is marked improvement of the movements when the mask is taken off. https://www.arquivosdeneuropsiquiatria.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ANP-2022.0199-video.mp4


Quality:

Surgical mask-induced dyskinesia phenomenology is uncertain, and somewhat similar to task-induced dystonia, a focal, isolated disorder that occurs only with specific actions. Although, it is thought to be choreic rather than dystonic, since the patients are not self-aware of the phenomenon.[1] Absence of use of antipsychotics and the exacerbation with sensory input help distinguishing from other forms of OMD.[1] [2]

Zoom Image
Figure 1 Oromandibular dyskinesia.

Authors' Contributions

TYTS: conceptualization, data curation, investigation, writing – original draft; LOCG: investigation, writing – original draft; JLP: conceptualization, investigation, project administration, writing – review & editing; OGPB: conceptualization, project administration, writing – review & editing.




Publication History

Received: 10 October 2022

Accepted: 02 February 2023

Article published online:
26 July 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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  • References

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