Some COVID-19 symptoms are unique to older patients.
Most symptoms of COVID-19 are fairly common.
These include tiredness, ache joints, shortness of breath, and loss of smell.
Some people display a handful of symptoms or none at all.
Other people have unusual symptoms.
According to a recent Money Talks News article titled “Seniors With COVID-19 May Display This Unusual Symptom,” this is especially true for seniors.
The November edition of the JAMA Network Open medical journal reports one symptom found in seniors with COVID-19 is delirium.
In fact, more than a quarter of seniors who enter the emergency room and are eventually diagnosed with the virus display with symptoms of delirium.
Of these patients, delirium was the primary presenting symptom for 16 percent.
About 37 percent of these patients who present with symptoms of delirium, do not present with any of the typical symptoms.
What does this mean?
If you have a senior loved one who has suddenly displayed symptoms of delirium, you may want to ask the doctors to run a COVID-19 test.
A proper diagnosis is important.
Those age 65 or older account for more than 80 percent of the U.S. deaths from COVID-19.
How can you recognize delirium?
The signs include disorientation, inattention, disorganized thinking, and impaired consciousness.
Because delirium presents itself in several severe illnesses and disorders such as dementia or Alzheimer’s, it is important for a doctor to run the appropriate tests and make a diagnosis.
Reference: Money Talks News (Nov. 20, 2020) “Seniors With COVID-19 May Display This Unusual Symptom”
