Delirium in the Elderly

Tammy T Hshieh; Sharon K Inouye; Esther S Oh

doi:10.1016/j.psc.2017.10.001

Delirium in the Elderly

Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2018 Mar;41(1):1-17. doi: 10.1016/j.psc.2017.10.001. Epub 2017 Dec 22.

Authors

Tammy T Hshieh¹, Sharon K Inouye², Esther S Oh³

Affiliations

¹ Division of Aging, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 1620 Tremont Street, One Brigham Circle, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02120, USA. Electronic address: thshieh@bwh.harvard.edu.
² Division of Gerontology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, 1200 Centre Street, Boston, MA 02131, USA.
³ Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Mason F. Lord Building, 5200 Eastern Avenue, 7th Floor, Room 721, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.

PMID: 29412839
DOI: 10.1016/j.psc.2017.10.001

Abstract

Delirium is defined as an acute disturbance in attention and cognition, with significant associated morbidity and mortality. This article discusses the basic epidemiology of delirium and approaches to diagnosing, assessing, and working up patients for delirium. It delineates the pathophysiology and underlying predisposing and precipitating factors for delirium. It also discusses recent advances in prevention and treatment, particularly multicomponent, nonpharmacological interventions.

Keywords: Cognitive decline; Delirium; Delirium prevention; Dementia; Nonpharmacological interventions.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Aged
Aging*
Cognitive Dysfunction*
Delirium* / diagnosis
Delirium* / etiology
Delirium* / therapy
Dementia*
Humans