Delirium in the Elderly

Tammy T Hshieh; Sharon K Inouye; Esther S Oh

doi:10.1016/j.cger.2019.11.001

Delirium in the Elderly

Clin Geriatr Med. 2020 May;36(2):183-199. doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2019.11.001.

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: 32222295
DOI: 10.1016/j.cger.2019.11.001

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
Attention
Cognition
Delirium* / epidemiology
Delirium* / etiology
Delirium* / psychology
Delirium* / therapy
Diagnosis, Differential
Humans
Patient Care Management / methods*
Preventive Medicine / methods*