A new early symptom of COVID-19 has been identified. May be disturbing

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Fever, dry cough, fatigue, loss of smell and taste are the most common early symptoms of SARS-CoV2 infection. However, new research points to another possible symptom suggesting COVID-19 infection. The observed disturbance is very disturbing.

1. Researchers at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) in Spain identified another symptom that could signal SARS-CoV-2 infection at an early stage
2. The symptom is delirium (delirium) accompanied by a fever
3. Delirium is a neurocognitive disorder. Javier Correa: this is a state of confusion in which the person feels detached from reality, as if in a dream
4. How does SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus affect the brain? There are three possible causes: hypoxia or neuronal oxygen deficiency, cytokine storm-induced inflammation of the brain tissue, and the ability of the virus to penetrate the blood-brain barrier.
5. More information about the COVID-19 situation can be found on the TvoiLokony home page

A new early symptom of COVID-19

Scientists point out that symptoms of COVID-19 may be slightly different from person to person, and people infected with SARS-CoV-2 report a wide range of symptoms, ranging from mild to severe. It is known, however, that the first symptoms most often include fever, cough, muscle aches, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea, fatigue, loss of smell and taste.

Researchers at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) in Spain identified another symptom that could signal SARS-CoV-2 infection at an early stage. It is associated with the effects of the coronavirus on the brain. The symptom is delirium (delirium) accompanied by fever. The research and conclusions reached by the researchers in the international scientific journal Journal of Clinical Immunology and Immunotherapy.

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Let’s make it clear right away that delirium is a neurocognitive disorder. “It is a state of confusion in which a person feels detached from reality, as if they were dreaming,” explained Javier Correa, co-author of a study he conducted while still working at the University of Bordeaux. «We must be vigilant, especially in an epidemiological situation like the present one. The signs of confusion may indicate an infection in a given person »- he emphasizes.

How does SARS-CoV-2 affect the brain? Three possibilities

Today we know that SARS-CoV-2 affects not only the respiratory system, but also affects the entire body, including the brain and nervous system. How exactly the coronavirus affects the brain and what the consequences are, they decided to investigate Javier Correa and Diego Redolar Ripoll. These scholars discovered, inter alia, that by affecting the central nervous system, the pathogen causes neurocognitive changes including headache and delirium, as well as psychotic episodes.

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Trying to answer the question of how the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus affects the brain, they point to three possibilities: hypoxia or neuronal oxygen deficiency, cytokine storm-induced brain tissue inflammation, and the virus’s ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier.

As Javier Correa points out, all of this can result in delirium. The authors admit that autopsies of patients indicate both symptoms of hypoxia and cases where it is possible to isolate coronaviruses themselves from the brain tissue.

1. How does COVID-19 damage the brain?

According to the researchers, delirium, cognitive deficits and behavioral abnormalities are most likely the result of a systemic inflammatory reaction and a hypoxic state that also causes inflammation of neuronal tissue and damage to areas such as the hippocampus that corresponds to, among others, for long-term and spatial memory.

Symptoms of delirium and their consequences

What do people with delirium experience? According to the Mayo Clinic organization, the most important symptoms of this disorder include:

Decreased awareness of surroundings. The affected person may be unable to focus on the topic or have difficulty changing the subject, may be easily distracted by irrelevant things, may be withdrawn or show little or no activity / reactions to the environment.

1. COVID-19 patients can suffer from “brain fog”. It lasts for months

Cognitive impairment (poor memory, especially about recent events, confusion – not knowing where you are or who you are, difficulty speaking or remembering words, difficulty understanding speech, difficulty reading or writing).

Behavioral changes. The sick person may see things that are not there (hallucinations), feel anxious, agitated, may become silent and closed (common in the elderly, may call out, groan, make other sounds

Emotional disorders (anxiety, fear, paranoia, irritability or anger, euphoria, apathy, fast and unpredictable changes in mood).

1. COVID-19 Accelerates Brain Aging? Disturbing information

British scientists have determined that delirium (in the form of confusion and drowsiness) is the first symptom of COVID-19, especially in people over 65, especially those in worse condition, with the so-called greater fragility. “Our research shows that in the elderly, with ‘fragility’, delirium is a key symptom of the disease,” emphasizes one of the study authors Dr. Rose Penfold of King College London. In his opinion, employees of social care homes and hospitals should pay attention to this.

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