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LONDON: Delirium or mental confusion accompanied by fever could be an early symptom of Covid-19, particularly in elderly patients, according to a review of studies.
The research, published in the Journal of Clinical Immunology and Immunotherapy, suggests that along with the loss of the sense of taste and smell and the headache that occurs in the days leading up to coughing and breathing difficulties, some patients also develop delirium.
As such, the manifestation of this confused state, if accompanied by high fever, should be considered an early marker of the disease, particularly in the case of elderly patients.
“Delirium is a state of confusion in which the person feels out of touch with reality, as if he were dreaming,” explained Javier Correa of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) in Spain.
“We need to be alert, particularly in an epidemiological situation like this, because an individual who exhibits some signs of confusion can be an indicator of infection,” said Correa, who led this study at the University of Bordeaux in France. .
Correa, together with UOC researcher Diego Redolar Ripoll, examined the scientific work published on the effects of Covid-19 in relation to the central nervous system, i.e. the brain.
The review found that there are growing indications that the new coronavirus also affects the central nervous system and produces neurocognitive changes, such as headaches and delirium, as well as psychotic episodes.
“The main hypotheses explaining how the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus affects the brain indicate three possible causes: hypoxia or neuronal oxygen deficiency, inflammation of the brain tissue due to the cytokine storm, and the fact that the virus has the ability to cross the -Brain blood to invade the brain directly, “Correa said.
He noted that any of these three factors have the potential to cause delirium.
Evidence of hypoxia-related brain damage was seen in autopsies performed on patients who died from the infection, and it was possible to isolate the virus from brain tissue, Correa said.
According to the researchers, delirium, cognitive deficits and behavioral abnormalities are more likely to be the result of systemic inflammation of the organ and a state of hypoxia, which also causes inflammation of neuronal tissue and damage in areas such as the hippocampus. .
This is associated with the cognitive dysfunction and behavioral changes presented by patients suffering from delirium, they said.
The research, published in the Journal of Clinical Immunology and Immunotherapy, suggests that along with the loss of the sense of taste and smell and the headache that occurs in the days leading up to coughing and breathing difficulties, some patients also develop delirium.
As such, the manifestation of this confused state, if accompanied by high fever, should be considered an early marker of the disease, particularly in the case of elderly patients.
“Delirium is a state of confusion in which the person feels out of touch with reality, as if he were dreaming,” explained Javier Correa of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) in Spain.
“We need to be alert, particularly in an epidemiological situation like this, because an individual who exhibits some signs of confusion can be an indicator of infection,” said Correa, who led this study at the University of Bordeaux in France. .
Correa, together with UOC researcher Diego Redolar Ripoll, examined the scientific work published on the effects of Covid-19 in relation to the central nervous system, i.e. the brain.
The review found that there are growing indications that the new coronavirus also affects the central nervous system and produces neurocognitive changes, such as headaches and delirium, as well as psychotic episodes.
“The main hypotheses explaining how the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus affects the brain indicate three possible causes: hypoxia or neuronal oxygen deficiency, inflammation of the brain tissue due to the cytokine storm, and the fact that the virus has the ability to cross the -Brain blood to invade the brain directly, “Correa said.
He noted that any of these three factors have the potential to cause delirium.
Evidence of hypoxia-related brain damage was seen in autopsies performed on patients who died from the infection, and it was possible to isolate the virus from brain tissue, Correa said.
According to the researchers, delirium, cognitive deficits and behavioral abnormalities are more likely to be the result of systemic inflammation of the organ and a state of hypoxia, which also causes inflammation of neuronal tissue and damage in areas such as the hippocampus. .
This is associated with the cognitive dysfunction and behavioral changes presented by patients suffering from delirium, they said.
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