Delirium accompanied by fever could be an early symptom of COVID-19. This is the main conclusion drawn by a scientific research review carried out by researchers from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and published in the open access Journal of Clinical Immunology and Immunotherapy, which highlights the fact that, together with the loss of the senses of taste and smell and headaches that occur in the days prior to the manifestation of coughing and breathing difficulties, some patients also develop delirium.
As such, the manifestation of this state of confusion, when 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 they are dreaming," explained UOC researcher Javier Correa, who carried out this study at the University of Bordeaux (France). He added that "we need to be on the alert, particularly in an epidemiological situation like this, because an individual presenting certain signs of confusion may be an indication of infection".
Read more at Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
Image: Delirium accompanied by fever could be an early symptom of COVID-19. (Credit: Kat Jayne / Pexels)