Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde
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Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd · Apr 2020
Review Case Reports[Atypical clinical picture of COVID-19 in older patients].
Clinical characteristics and outcomes among older patients with a SARS-CoV-2 infection differ greatly from those seen in younger patients. Here we highlight atypical presentations of this fulminant infectious disease COVID-19, based on a clinical case and a cohort of 19 patients admitted to a geriatric ward. ⋯ As in other countries, morbidity and mortality is most severe among frail male patients; therefore, assessment of changes suggestive of typical acute geriatric syndromes in frail older patients with chronic diseases should lead to a careful clinical examination for a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Protocols for diagnosis, and contact isolation measures, should take these atypical presentations into account.