Some coronavirus patients show signs of brain ailments
Some coronavirus patients show signs of brain ailments
Experts say some COVID-19 patients are experiencing problems with brain functions in addition to unusual symptoms such as diminished sense of smell and taste and heart problems. In Detroit, one COVID-19 patient in her late 50s was diagnosed with acute necrotizing encephalopathy, a rare complication of influenza and other viral infections.
Experts say some COVID-19 patients are experiencing problems with brain functions in addition to unusual symptoms such as diminished sense of smell and taste and heart problems. In Detroit, one COVID-19 patient in her late 50s was diagnosed with acute necrotizing encephalopathy, a rare complication of influenza and other viral infections. Elissa Fory, MD, a neurologist with Henry Ford Health System, says: "This may indicate the virus can invade the brain directly in rare circumstances." Neurologists in Italy and elsewhere also have observed COVID-19 patients having strokes, seizures, encephalitis-like symptoms, blood clots, and tingling or numbness in the extremities. In Connecticut, four older patients who were admitted to Danbury Hospital with encephalopathy later tested positive for COVID-19, but they had no other symptoms. Paul Nee, MD, an infectious disease specialist at the hospital, notes it is not unusual for older adults to experience confusion when they develop other infections, but "the striking thing is we have not seen any real respiratory illness in these patients." He observes that such patients continue to test positive and cannot be discharged, even though they do not appear ill. Patients who have encephalopathy and seem confused could have seizures and should receive immediate treatment, says Jennifer Frontera, MD, a neurologist at NYU Langone Health. She notes that seizures are not always the dramatic episodes depicted on television and in movies. They "are not always big things where people fall down and are shaking on the ground," she explains. "Some could be just veering off, not paying attention, making repetitive non-purposeful movements, or just mental status changes where people are just not themselves."
https://www.pharmacist.com/article/some-coronavirus-patients-show-signs-brain-ailments
