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It is well known that a COVID-19 infection becomes more serious in people with underlying health problems or in the elderly. Now a study reveals that a sixth most common symptom increases the risk of death by 24 percent. Why does the delirium symptom increase deaths among the elderly?
What is delirium?
Delirium is a serious disturbance in mental abilities that results in confused thinking and reduced awareness of the environment, the Mayo Clinic said.
The health site continued: “The onset of delirium is usually rapid in a few hours or a few days.
“The signs and symptoms of delirium usually start within a few hours to a few days.
“They often fluctuate throughout the day and there may be periods without symptoms.
“Symptoms tend to be worse at night when it’s dark and things seem less familiar.”
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What the study said
In the study published on the JAMA Network, delirium was further investigated in older COVID-19 patients.
The study noted: “In this cohort study of 817 older ED patients with COVID-19, 28 percent had delirium at presentation, and delirium was the sixth most common of all presenting symptoms and signs. .
“Among patients with delirium, 16 percent had delirium as the main symptom and 37 percent had no typical symptoms or signs of COVID-19, such as a cough or fever.
“In this cohort study of 817 older adults with COVID-19 who presented to US emergency departments, delirium was common and often seen without other typical symptoms or signs.
Furthermore, delirium was associated with poor hospital outcomes and death.
“These findings suggest the clinical importance of including delirium on the COVID-19 presenting signs and symptoms checklists that guide screening, testing and evaluation.”
What the experts said
King’s epidemiologist Dr. Rose Penfold said: “Older and more frail people are at greater risk of COVID-19 than those in better shape, and our results show that delirium is a key symptom in this group.
“Doctors and caregivers should be vigilant for any changes in the mental state of older people, such as confusion or strange behavior, and be alert to the fact that this could be an early sign of coronavirus infection.”
To confirm the link between delirium and a COVID-19 infection, consulting geriatrician Dr. Claire Steves and her colleagues also screened older patients with COVID-19 at St Thomas Hospital in London for signs of delirium. .
The finding proved to be consistent across both data sets, revealing that delirium was strongly associated with a positive COVID-19 test.
Dr Steves said: “Right at the beginning of the pandemic, we noticed only anecdotally that coronavirus patients arrived with acute confusion and disorientation.
“The big question is whether people with coronavirus are developing delirium because the virus has a huge effect on the body and immune system, as we might see with other infections, or is there something more specific with the coronavirus and the brain?
Dr. Steve suspects that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, can enter nerve cells in the brain, disrupting them and causing delirium symptoms.
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