A case of neurosarcoidosis presenting with isolated psychotic symptoms

Abstract

Neurosarcoidosis (NS) is a neurologic manifestation of sarcoidosis, a rare multisystemic granulomatous disease. Although psychiatric symptoms have been reported to occur in 20% of patients with NS, isolated NS without any signs of systemic disease is a rarity.

Case

A 56-year-old female admitted to psychiatry clinic due to complaints of forgetfulness, visual and auditory hallucinations, inability to go outside alone, washing hands in closet cabin, difficulty finding words for the last one year, progressing in last four months. Personal and family background was unremarkable. Vital signs and physical examination revealed no abnormalities. In neuropsychiatric examination, Glasgow Coma Scale score was 15 without any meningeal irritation signs or gait abnormalities. Cranial nerves, extrapyramidal, motor, cerebellar, and sensory systems were intact. All aspects of orientation (time, place and person) were impaired. She scored 12 points out of 30 in Mini Mental Test. Speech was non-fluent with looseness of associations. Impaired recall, abstract thinking, judgment, behaviour planning and attention were noted. Visiospatial disorientation and contructional dressing apraxia were revealed. MR Imaging reported a T2-weighted signal intensity change in nodular fashion suggesting a granulamatous lesion. Differential diagnoses included granulomatous diseases, neoplasms, infections and Behcet's disease. After necessary excluding evaluations were undergone, a diagnosis of NS was made due to increased angiotensin converting enzyme levels in cerebrospinal fluid. The clinical picture responded well to prednisone treatment and symptoms resolved within one month.

Conclusion

Increased awareness is essential to identify rare granulamotous diseases as a differential diagnosis in encountering psychotic symptoms accompanying demantial clinic presentation.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.