Concurrent catatonia and COVID-19 infection in a demented patient: A case report

Catatonia is a complex neuropsychiatric syndrome that comprises motor, behavioral and autonomic abnormalities. It occurs in the context of general medical, neurological, and psychiatric conditions. The study of catatonia in the elderly is particularly challenging due to the higher somatic and cognitive comorbidity, polymedication and the higher prevalence of delirium. Catatonia remains underdiagnosed in this population, especially in those with dementia. We describe a case of an 82-years-old patient with mixed dementia, who developed catatonia for the first time, during her admission to our general medical ward due to SARS-CoV-2 organizing pneumonia. Besides the specific treatment for SARS-CoV-2 organizing pneumonia, catatonia was treated symptomatically with benzodiazepines and memantine with success. In general, catatonia in older patients tends to have a good prognosis if detected early, its cause treated, the symptoms managed, and complications avoided. We report this case to alert clinicians in medical wards to this condition, to improve its overall diagnosis and treatment rates.