Summary of clinical features in five patients with delayed encephalopathy of CO intoxication
| Patient/Age, y/Sex* | Initial Manifestations of Acute CO Intoxication | Lucid Interval, wk | Major Clinical Findings of Delayed Encephalopathy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/54/F | Coma with multiple burn injury | 3 | Short-term memory loss, confabulation; much improved at 7-mo follow-up |
| 2/71/M | Sudden decrease of verbal output, free voiding | 1 | Aphasia, gait disturbance; much improved at 5-mo follow-up |
| 3/63/M | Abnormal repetitive behavior, progressive abulia | 3 | Abulia, akinetic mutism; much improved at 8-mo follow-up |
| 4/65/F | Coma, decrease of verbal output and cognitive dysfunction | 4 | Urinary/fecal incontinence, short-stepped gait; persistent clinical symptoms at 6-mo follow-up |
| 5/63/F | Coma, free voiding, and defecation | 4 | Abulia, bradykinesia, free voiding; much improved at 5-mo follow-up |
* In all patients except patient 4, the cause of their exposure to CO gas was a gas leakage from an under-the-floor home heating system. Patient 4 was exposed to exhaust gas from a car.