Clinical Features of Delayed Encephalopathy Following Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

 

Clinical features:

(1) The onset is usually from 1-4 weeks (from a few days up to 8 weeks) after the acute intoxication. The patient is lucid during this interval period.

(2) It usually develops in adults who are middle age or older; it is rare in patients younger than 30 years of age.

(3) It may present with a triad of:

(3a) mental deterioration

(3b) urinary incontinence

(3c) gait disturbance

(4) Frontal lobe signs may include: grasp reflex, glabella sign, retropulsion.

(5) Basal ganglia signs may include: short-step gait, masked face, rigidity.

(6) The clinical course tends to fluctuate.

(7) Most patients recover completely within 1-2 years, although some patients may have long-term sequelae.