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Altered mental status in 71 deaths due to COVID-19

Brad Tyson1, Laszlo Erdodi2, Sudeshna Ray1

  • 1Evergreen Neuroscience Institute, Evergreen Health Medical Center, Kirkland, WA, USA.

The International Journal of Neuroscience
|September 28, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Neurologic symptoms, especially altered mental status, are common in fatal COVID-19 cases. This mental change can be a primary indicator of disease in some patients, highlighting the need for mental status exams.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Critical Care Medicine

Background:

  • COVID-19 has been associated with a wide range of clinical manifestations.
  • Neurologic complications are increasingly recognized in patients with severe COVID-19.
  • Understanding the spectrum of neurologic symptoms is crucial for patient management and prognosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the incidence and characteristics of neurologic symptoms in patients who died from COVID-19.
  • To specifically examine the occurrence of altered mental status as a key neurologic symptom.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of medical records for 71 deceased COVID-19 patients.
  • Analysis of reported neurologic symptoms, comorbidities, and demographic data.
  • Focus on symptoms present at hospital admission.

Main Results:

  • 86% of patients exhibited neurologic symptoms upon admission.
  • Altered mental status was the most frequent symptom, observed in 66% of cases.
  • Common comorbidities included hypertension (61%), cardiovascular disease (59%), and dementia (49%).

Conclusions:

  • Neurologic symptoms, particularly altered mental status, are highly prevalent in fatal COVID-19 cases.
  • Altered mental status can be the primary presenting feature in a subset of patients.
  • Routine mental status examination is recommended for COVID-19 assessment.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19deliriumdementianeurologyneuropsychology

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