Symptoms of Delirium: An Early Indicator of Coronavirus Infection?

Symptoms of delirium along with fever could be an early sign of COVID-19. This is the main conclusion drawn from a scientific study conducted by researchers from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and published in Clinical Immunology and Immunotherapy. So the researchers point out that some patients may develop coronavirus delirium in addition to more familiar symptoms.

When do symptoms of delirium occur?

The manifestation of such a state of confusion with high fever should be seen as an early indicator of the disease, especially in the elderly. Thus, the person concerned does not feel connected to reality, as if he were dreaming. This explains the lead author who conducted this study at the University of Bordeaux in France. So science should be on the alert, especially in such an epidemiological situation. People who show some signs of confusion can give an indication of an infection caused by the coronavirus. The team reviewed scientific work on the effects of COVID-19 on the central nervous system. The review found that there is growing evidence that SARS-CoV-2 also affects the central nervous system, causing neurocognitive changes such as headaches and delirium symptoms, as well as psychotic episodes.

So the main hypotheses explaining how such a virus affects the brain point to three possible causes. Researchers refer to this as hypoxia or neuronal oxygen deficiency. This is inflammation of the brain tissue due to a cytokine storm. The coronavirus also has the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. In this way, it can enter the brain directly.

The study authors point out that any of these factors can potentially lead to delirium. They also explain that evidence of brain damage caused by hypoxia was seen during autopsies of patients who died from the infection. So it was possible to isolate the virus from the brain tissue. According to the researchers, the symptoms of delirium, cognitive deficits and behavioral abnormalities are most likely the result of systemic brain inflammation and hypoxia. The latter also causes inflammation of the neural tissue in areas such as the hippocampus. This condition is associated with the cognitive dysfunction and behavioral changes of patients with delirium.