Hi all I wrote a paper along with Drs. Virginia Gao, Alexandra Nattan , Alan Segal, Alexander Merkler, Neal Parikh, Halina White, Joshua Lantos, Dana Leifer, and Babak Navi about four cases of a normally rare disease of the blood vessels in the brain that is becoming more common in the setting of COVID-19. It is called posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome or “PRES” and while usually reversible with certain treatments (lowering blood pressure, dialysis, stopping certain medications) if left unchecked it can cause strokes, seizures, and brain bleeds.
To my friends in healthcare—please get brain imaging (urgent CT at minimum, MRI too if able) and an EEG if your patient with COVID-19 is persistently confused, lethargic, or with focal neurological deficits. If you find PRES, it will almost certainly change management.
To my friends outside of healthcare—this virus is no joke. Please continue to keep your in-person social circles small, mask up, and wash your hands.
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