Did you know that missing payments on your monthly bills could be an early sign of Dementia? A recent study shows that those living with some form of Dementia are likely to miss bill payments up to six years prior to their official diagnosis and that adverse financial events were more common among those with lower education. Missed payments may …
Post-Vax Symptoms or COVID-19
Now that vaccines are being administered around the country, we need to be alert to signs and symptoms post-vaccination. Per the CDC, distinguishing between systemic signs of COVID-19 vaccination symptoms of coronavirus infection will depend on many factors. Clinical judgment will be critical in determining COVID-19 symptoms versus post-vaccination symptoms, beginning with whether the healthcare provider had “unprotected exposure to …
Neurological Manifestations – COVID-19
COVID-19 can involve multiple organs including the nervous system. In a recent study published in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, 509 consecutive patients admitted with confirmed COVID-19 in a hospital network in Chicago, Illinois were examined for neurologic manifestations. The severity of COVID-19 and outcomes in patients with and without neurologic manifestations were compared. Neurologic manifestations were present …
Reliability of Signs and Symptoms of Infection
Older adults may manifest acute illness with atypical signs and symptoms, including those that are non-localizing; however, most nursing-home residents with acute infection will also exhibit some localizing signs and symptoms of infection. Non-infectious explanations for non-localizing signs or symptoms of changes in condition should be ruled out first. Some of these changes may include: Changes in medication, Acute or …
Testing – Asymptomatic COVID-19
As the U.S. recorded its five highest days of coronavirus cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield said this is the perfect time to develop a strategy to better detect asymptomatic cases. The nationwide seven-day average of new daily cases now stands at about 86,363, more than double what it was on September 4 per …
Coronavirus – Impact on the Body
It is becoming increasingly clear that some patients struggle with COVID-19 health consequences and costs for longer than a few weeks. The virus can have a severe impact on the lungs, as you might expect. Pneumonia associated with the disease can damage air sacs in the lungs and the resulting scar tissue can cause long-term breathing problems. These are things …
Children versus Adults – Asymptomatic
In a study conducted among individuals hospitalized in Milan, one of the cities with the highest SARS-CoV-2 burden in the world, about 1% of children and 9% of adults without any symptoms or signs of SARS-CoV-2 infection tested positive for the virus. It has been estimated that approximately 80% of adults with SARS-CoV-2 are asymptomatic. The few available reports on …
Mild or Moderate – COVID-19
Coronaviruses typically cause common cold symptoms, but two beta coronaviruses, SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), can cause pneumonia, respiratory failure, and death. The clinical spectrum of SARS-CoV-2 infection ranges from asymptomatic infection to critical illness. Risk factors for complications of COVID-19 include older age, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, diabetes, and obesity. The new England Journal of …
Vaccine – Prevent Symptoms, Not Virus?
As we eagerly await new updates about potential coronavirus vaccines, questions remain about how well they will work and if they will stem the pandemic. Importantly, the initial COVID-19 vaccines will prevent symptoms in those who become infected with the coronavirus rather than kill the virus itself, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious …
COVID-19 Greatest Risk for Elderly
Reports of atypical presentations of COVID-19 have been emerging as the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has grown across the globe. Atypical presenting features refer to patients where the constitutional or respiratory symptoms are absent or minimal and other non-respiratory symptoms or signs are early or predominant features. Studies have shown that the greatest risk factor for severe COVID-19 is increasing age, particularly …