Respiratory Medicine Unit, University Hospital Policlinico Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
Neurology Unit, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
Neurol Sci. 2020 Oct;41(10):2671-2674. doi: 10.1007/s10072-020-04632-x. Epub 2020 Jul 30.
The relationship between dyspnea and COVID-19 is unknown. In COVID-19 patients, the higher prevalence of neurological symptoms and the lack of dyspnea may suggest common underlying pathogenetic mechanisms. The aim of this preliminary study is to address whether there is a lack of dyspnea in COVID-19 patients and if there is a relationship between neurological symptoms and the perception of dyspnea.
A structured interview regarding the occurrence of subjective neurological symptoms was performed and coupled with a questionnaire about the intensity and qualities of dyspnea. Respiratory rate (RR) and an arterial blood gas on room air were concurrently evaluated.
Twenty-two patients (age 68.4 ± 13.9 years, 13 males and 9 females) were included and divided into two groups according to the Borg dyspnea scale: dyspneic patients BU ≥ 1(DYSP) and non-dyspneic patients BU < 1 (NDYSP). The prevalence of dyspnea overall was 31.8%. The prevalence of neurological symptoms, dyspnea descriptors, RR, pH, PaCO, PaO, or lactate was similar between groups.
This study confirms that the prevalence of dyspnea is low in non-severe COVID-19 patients, but contrary to our hypothesis of a relationship between shortness of breath and neurological symptoms, we have not been able to find any evidence of an impairment in dyspnea perception, either in the DYSP or NDYSP group.
呼吸困难与 COVID-19 之间的关系尚不清楚。在 COVID-19 患者中，更高的神经系统症状发生率和缺乏呼吸困难可能表明存在共同的潜在发病机制。本初步研究旨在探讨 COVID-19 患者是否存在呼吸困难不足的情况，以及神经系统症状与呼吸困难感知之间是否存在关系。
对主观神经系统症状的发生进行了结构化访谈，并结合了呼吸困难的强度和特征的问卷。同时评估了呼吸频率 (RR) 和在室温下的动脉血气。
共纳入 22 例患者（年龄 68.4±13.9 岁，男性 13 例，女性 9 例），并根据 Borg 呼吸困难量表分为两组：呼吸困难患者 BU≥1（DYSP）和非呼吸困难患者 BU<1（NDYSP）。呼吸困难的总体发生率为 31.8%。两组间的神经系统症状、呼吸困难描述符、RR、pH、PaCO、PaO 或乳酸的发生率相似。
本研究证实，非重症 COVID-19 患者的呼吸困难发生率较低，但与我们关于呼吸困难与神经系统症状之间存在关系的假设相反，我们没有发现任何证据表明在 DYSP 或 NDYSP 组中存在呼吸困难感知受损的情况。
