Delirium in Older Patients With COVID-19 Presenting to the Emergency Department

Delirium in Older Patients With COVID-19 Presenting to the Emergency Department This cohort study examines how frequently older adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) present to the emergency department with delirium and their associated hospital outcomes. JAMANetworkOpen

  ... Delirium is common among older emergency department (ED) patients, is associated with high morbidity and mortality, and frequently goes unrecognized. Anecdotal evidence has described atypical presentations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in older adults; however, the frequency of and outcomes associated with delirium in older ED patients with COVID-19 infection have not been well described. ...

In this cohort study of 817 older adults with COVID-19 presenting to US emergency departments, delirium was common and often was seen without other typical symptoms or signs. In addition, delirium was associated with poor hospital outcomes and death. These findings suggest the clinical importance of including delirium on checklists of presenting signs and symptoms of COVID-19 that guide screening, testing, and evaluation....