Seniors do not display the same symptoms of the novel coronavirus as others who have it, doctors have found.
While younger patients have cough, fever and shortness of breath, older adults may simply appear “off.” They might sleep more, lose their appetite and become confused and apathetic. Sometimes they are dizzy, stop speaking or simply collapse.
Atypical presentations are not unusual in elderly adults in many conditions, Camille Vaughan, M.D., section chief of geriatrics and gerontology at Emory University, told CNN. “We’re seeing that with COVID-19 as well,” she said. In some cases, apparent signs of trauma or stroke turn out to be COVID-19. In all instances, the risk is that diagnosis is stalled and treatment begins late, clinicians say.
Clinicians also are learning about other COVID-19 symptoms in the general population. For example, severe infections also risk abnormal blood clotting, according to researchers at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Science. They found that the culprit is apparently micro-clots, which form in the lungs.
Full findings can be found in the British Journal of Haematology.
