A Taichung man who lost his memory has been diagnosed with septicemia in his brain, doctors said, urging people to seek immediate treatment for such symptoms.
The man, surnamed Peng (彭), 35, was in July on his way home from work when he suddenly forgot the route and after being helped home, forgot the layout of his apartment. Family members took him to a local hospital emergency room where doctors diagnosed him with a urinary tract infection that led to septicemia.
The severity of Peng’s case, which could have caused meningitis, should not be taken lightly, Feng Yuan Hospital neurology department director Hung Liang-yi (洪良一) said.
Peng’s family said they became worried when the usually punctual Peng failed to return home.
They contacted police before going to search for him with friends in Taichung’s Fengyuan District (豐原) and found him at about midnight wandering aimlessly.
The family said that they thought his amnesia was temporary, but when he returned home and was still disoriented they took him to hospital.
Blood tests showed Peng had kidney stones and septicemia, Hung said, adding that he recovered after treatment and rest.
Septicemia is usually diagnosed in elderly people or people who have diabetes or people who have weakened immune systems, Cheng Ching Hospital Chung Kang Branch director of neurology Yeh Shou-cheng (葉守正) said.
Symptoms depend on where in the body the septicemia occurs, but it is not uncommon for patients to exhibit memory loss, speech problems, paralysis or confusion when septicemia occurs in the frontal lobe of the brain, Yeh said.
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