Botched COVID-19 Nasal Swab Test Caused Man's Brain Fluid To Leak For Nine Months

In a shocking case, a man who underwent a botched COVID-19 test ended up having his cerebrospinal fluid leaking through his nose.

The victim, a 40-year-old from the Czech Republic, received a nasal swab test in March last year, reported Yahoo News. He got himself tested after being exposed to a COVID patient.

Though his test came out negative, he began experiencing a runny nose from his right nostril. The patient ignored the symptoms initially, thinking it was due to allergies.

However, the "runny nose" persisted, following which he decided to consult a doctor in December, said to a report published Thursday in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

"During this period, he did not report any signs of meningitis. The first examination at an ENT specialist was done in December 2020, nine months after the first symptom appeared," said the researchers.

After checking him, the doctors found "clear nasal secretion" and a CT scan was ordered. The scan also revealed that the man had an injury to the cribriform plate, a spongy bone that separates the nose and the brain.

He was diagnosed with a cerebrospinal leak (CSK leaks) wherein the clear fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord drips out through the nose. Typically, the leakage happens from just one side of the nose, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Such leaks are dangerous as they can cause meningitis, an infection of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. People with CSF leaks often go for years before they develop serious problems.

The man was prescribed antibiotics, and surgery was performed too. He was strictly instructed not to blow his nose. He recovered three weeks later, and the only symptom that persisted was his loss of the sense of smell on the right side of the nose.

A similar case was reported last year where a woman had a cerebrospinal fluid leak after her COVID-19 nasal swab test went horribly wrong. According to reports, the woman had gone for a nasal test ahead of elective hernia surgery. However, she soon noticed clear fluid coming out of one side of her nose. The woman also developed headaches, vomiting, neck stiffness, and an aversion to light. A surgery was carried out later and she has since fully recovered.