Seniors with COVID-19 show unusual symptoms, doctors say

[SheltieLover]

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/04/seniors-with-covid-19-show-unusual-symptoms-doctors-say/

Seniors with COVID-19 show unusual symptoms, doctors say
Published 2 mins ago on April 24, 2020By Kaiser Health News



Older adults with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, have several “atypical” symptoms, complicating efforts to ensure they get timely and appropriate treatment, according to physicians.

COVID-19 is typically signaled by three symptoms: a fever, an insistent cough and shortness of breath. But older adults — the age group most at risk of severe complications or death from this condition ― may have none of these characteristics.

Instead, seniors may seem “off” — not acting like themselves ― early on after being infected by the coronavirus. They may sleep more than usual or stop eating. They may seem unusually apathetic or confused, losing orientation to their surroundings. They may become dizzy and fall. Sometimes, seniors stop speaking or simply collapse.

More at link.

[In_The_Wind]

1. Seniors need more testing.

We need HELP

[uponit7771]

3. +1

[Dennis Donovan]

2. Unusual blood clotting is being documented more and more in COVID symptoms

Could there be something happening, like tiny strokes, that are causing this?

[SheltieLover]

4. Could be

The article briefly touches on the concept of the virus attacking the central nervous system in elders.

Maybe just completely knocking autonomic nervous system out of whack?

[SheltieLover]

6. Yes, docs are now focusing on the blood clot issue

Here is a good article on this issue:

https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/16/blood-clots-coronavirus-tpa/

[Hortensis]

15. Thanks. Interestingly, over-activated immune response that

damage the organs it's trying to protect is the usual killer in disease deaths, rather than disease pathogen itself. The things you learn.

This article suggests runaway immune response may be causing the clotting with COVID, and I've read somewhere else that COVID clotting is now being commonly seen along with immune systems gone crazy. Those "cytokine storms."

"best available data that about one-third of patients who have Covid-19 infections do in fact have evidence of thrombotic disease,..." I heard one doctor say he'd never seen such ferocious, widespread clotting before.

This is turning out to be a terrible virus that will leave many permanently ill.

[dalton99a]

13. Yep, even among younger patients:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/22/health/strokes-coronavirus-young-adults/index.html
Covid-19 causes sudden strokes in young adults, doctors say
By Maggie Fox, CNN
Updated 7:41 AM ET, Thu April 23, 2020

[enough]

5. It seems more and more that there is no "typical" set of symptoms. NT

[SheltieLover]

7. Weird, isn't it?

I think it attacks whichever body systems are weakest.

[2naSalit]

14. I've been wondering about that too.

Last edited Fri Apr 24, 2020, 12:35 PM - Edit history (1)

That can complicate things. Not an assembly line sort of thing it appears.

[SheltieLover]

29. Lyme disease is similar in this respect

Some have knee problems, others have different issues. The 1 constant, last I saw was that every necropsy confirmed heart involvement.

Lyme is the deepest, darkest rabbit hole I have ever researched, with many MDs losing licenses - not for wrong doing or patient complaints - simy for diagnosing & treating with antibiotics.

I'm afraid we might be heading towards that with this disease.

[yellowdogintexas]

18. Opportunistic infections- things which don't bother a healthy person

I am theorizing here, but in diseases like AIDS or Cystic Fibrosis, pathogens which are harmless to a healthy person will attack a vulnerable body system and rampantly grow because the environment has changed enough that the pathogen can thrive. The lungs are the most common target. In seniors, opportunistic infections often hit the urinary tract.

When these patients succumb, the cause of death is not the original condition - it is the opportunistic infection. Some of these pathogens become resistant very fast but research is constantly ongoing for new antibiotics so the new treatment is available when needed.

With this monstrosity there is no time to come up with a new treatment. This could account for the widespread organ failure. Lungs are being trashed by the virus in a very bizarre manner, but other systemic failures could be true opportunistic infections.

I know there are a good number of DU folks who are far more medically qualified than I am and I could be so far off the mark here. Most of what I know about opportunistic infections I learned first hand from a friend with a CF child, and from working at a drug company which was developing one of the early AIDS medications.

[SheltieLover]

31. Could be complications from blood clots, perhaps. Good article below

https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/16/blood-clots-coronavirus-tpa/

TIAs maybe?

I am not a medical person, either. Just trying to make sense of this.

[safeinOhio]

8. I've been having all of those symptoms

for about 5 or 6 years now.

[babylonsister]

9. Haha! nt

[UpInArms]

10. Here is the kaiser health link

https://khn.org/news/seniors-with-covid-19-show-unusual-symptoms-doctors-say/

[SheltieLover]

11. TY!

👍

[UpInArms]

12. ...

[SheltieLover]

32. 😊

[Texin]

16. Those symptoms are also prevalent with urinary tract infections in the elderly.

[yaesu]

17. I've been listening to my police scanner as the outbreak gets worse here and their are a lot of

calls for people confused, falling, same symptoms. I hope emergency services has this info.

[SheltieLover]

25. I hope so, too!

I wonder with being short-staffed & so busy, whether they get daily briefings?

[James48]

19. Interesting.

You know, the more we learn about this virus, the more I am convinced it isn’t just a naturally occurring oddity.

I think it is a virus either modified to be more dangerous, or it’s a naturally occurring reaction by nature to the infection of mankind on planet earth. Maybe EARTH is saying there are too many humans infecting the planet, and Mother Nature is going to cleanse the earth.

Either way, we’re in big trouble.

[SheltieLover]

26. I concur

I'm not sure which, but it us surely looking scary.

[Azathoth]

20. Not completely unusual. Seniors tend to manifest infections differently

Often, confusion and being mentally "off" are the first signs of an infection. It's one of the challenges in caring for older people.

By the time there is a fever or other apparent symptoms, they're already seriously ill.

[SheltieLover]

27. Yes but they aren't manifesting the other sxs

Weird.

[gab13by13]

21. Whew, I'm glad I'm not a senior, I'm 72.

Forget the thermometers, temperature isn't reliable either. I bought an oxygen sensor, they're like 20 bucks.

Healthiest I've been in 10 years, I was lucky I had an ablation that fixed my A-fib right before the poop hit the fan. I'm down to my fighting weight, 170, and ready to finally beat my 87 year old golfing buddy, and this happens.

Why can't they just put disinfectant in the ball washers, 1 person per cart, and if you lose your ball find it on your own. Oh, and wear 2 golf gloves and leave the pin in.

[LeftInTX]

23. I bought one too

I don't run fevers, ever.

However, you can have Covid 19 and still have normal O2 sats. Abnormal sat indicates you need medical treatment, whether you have Covid 19 or something else.

[James48]

35. O2 sensor?

Please - where did you find an O2 denor, and do they make it as an iPhone Bluetooth accessory?

[LeftInTX]

36. I got my at Walgreens

It's no frills like a thermometer. No connection to nothing.
You can always contact a doctor and let them know what your O2 level is.

[cayugafalls]

22. Man, this virus is crafty. The more they learn, the scarier it gets.

I am glad that we are a nation of science (so far) and that it is being studied by people who care, even if the orange blob doesn't understand, we have people who got our backs, i.e., Dr.'s, Nurses, Researchers, etc...

[progree]

24. "Since it renders most people afflicted by it too loopy to seek medical attention"

I found this comment to a Washington Post Op Ed second-hand. I don't have the time right now to check if she is willing to have this posted (including her email address) hither, thither, and beyond, but if anyone is interested, please PM me. In the meantime, I thought people should be aware that there are a lot of people living alone who don't have a lot of contacts with others on a regular basis that would notice something might be wrong and take action ...

The part "renders most people afflicted by it too loopy to seek medical attention" might be an overstatement, but apparently it's not uncommon either.

I added the emphasis in the below, and broke it into 3 paragraphs to make it easier to read.

I am reaching out because I think you'll be interested in a program I started in the apartment communities I manage. 72 out of 213 residences I manage are participating in Covid Companions, A volunteer programs designed with people who live alone in mind. I pair participants who are checking on one another briefly by phone or email every day.

Before the CDC included it in their list of symptoms, a resident quarantining due to close contact with her mother who was Covid19 positive shared that her mom's only symptoms had been headaches and severe confusion. Coronavirus confusion can present as a stroke both in how swiftly it comes on and in its symptoms, like not being able to articulate a complete thought and forgetting basic information like one's own name. Since it renders most people afflicted by it too loopy to seek medical attention, those who live alone often die needlessly as a result.

My motivation in sharing this with you is that I think other communities could implement the program - or some version of it - if not now, perhaps in the fall, when we'll likely have to do this again :/. I will share the materials I developed in an editable format with anyone interested, including you! (email address given -Progree)

[SheltieLover]

28. This is a wonderful idea!

And I hope it takes off in other communities!

TY for posting.

[progree]

30. Thanks 😂 . Some other services to explore for live-alones who are not being looked after...

I might add that there's a service called kitestring.io that you check into daily (or whatever frequency you specify) and, if you don't check in, the contact people you specify are notified -- I don't know the details like is there a certain additional time frame one can specify (margin of error) and does oneself get a warning that warnings are about to go out or something like that, so one doesn't cause an uproar simply for forgetting to check in.

I googled "service that you check in to daily" and found some others. And this article lists a number of options:

Check-In Services That Can Help Seniors Stay Put, 9/4/17
Jim T. Miller, Contributor, Syndicated columnist, NBC Today contributor and creator of SavvySenior.org
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/check-in-services-that-can-help-seniors-stay-put_b_59ad66dde4b0c50640cd60d2

[SheltieLover]

33. Awesome! TY!

This pandemic is really pointing up all the cracks in our society. These sound like a great service!

[SheltieLover]

34. Biokmarking & saving Huff Post article

Memphis has a volunteer-staffed telephone service too. I don't think it is a check-in service, per se, but it is a concerted effort to reach out to elders who are all alone. I cannot find the darned link. 😞

[Cha]

37. Thank you for this, Sheltie