DETROIT, MI — Henry Ford Health System announced that it believes a patient is the first case of the association between encephalitis and COVID-19.

The 58-year-old female patient had several days of fever, cough and muscle aches – symptoms consistent with COVID-19. On March 19, she was transported by ambulance to the emergency department and showed signs of confusion, lethargy and disorientation.

A flu test turned up negative but a rapid COVID-19 test, developed in-house by Henry Ford’s clinical microbiology lab, confirmed positive coronavirus, said Elissa Fory, M.D. a Henry Ford neurologist who was part of the team of medical experts involved in making the diagnosis.

When the patient remained lethargic, doctors ordered a repeat CT and MRI scans. The MRI scan identified abnormal lesions in both thalami and temporal lobes, parts of the brain that control consciousness, sensation and memory function. These scans confirmed doctors’ early suspicions.

The patient tested positive for the coronavirus developed a case of acute necrotizing encephalitis, or ANE, a central nervous infection that mostly afflicts young children.

ANE is a rare condition, particularly in the adult population, and is associated with poor clinical outcomes. It develops in response to other infections like influenza, chickenpox and enterovirus.

“This complication is as devastating as severe lung disease,” Fory said.

The patient is hospitalized in serious condition.