Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor treatment alleviated cognitive impairment caused by delayed encephalopathy due to carbon monoxide poisoning: Two case reports and a review of the literature.

What Researchers Did

Researchers reported two cases of delayed encephalopathy due to carbon monoxide poisoning and reviewed existing literature to assess the effectiveness of acetylcholinesterase inhibitor treatment.

What They Found

In two women (aged 69 and 60) with delayed encephalopathy after carbon monoxide poisoning, acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AchEI) treatment significantly improved cognitive function. Case 1's Mini-Mental State Examination score improved from 9 to 28 points, and Case 2's Hasegawa's dementia rating scale score improved from 4 to 25 points after AchEI administration.

Canadian Relevance

This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was not conducted in Canada, nor does it involve Canadian researchers or patients.

Study Limitations

As a case report, this study's findings are limited by its small sample size of only two patients, preventing generalization to a broader population.