Providers and researchers need to do more to treat and prevent the onset of delirium in older adults, a new study reports. The condition is known to be a predictor of decreased lifespan and increased healthcare costs.
Delirium, which is characterized as a sudden alteration of mental status and severe confusion, is unrecognized in 60% of patients who experience it, according to investigators from the Indiana University School of Medicine. They assert that delirium is not the same thing as dementia, but individuals with dementia are more likely to develop delirium while hospitalized than people without dementia.
“Having delirium prolongs the length of a hospital stay, increases the risk of post-hospitalization transfer to a nursing home, doubles the risk of death, and may lead to permanent brain damage,” IU researcher Malaz Boustani, M.D. said. “We need to identify those who have delirium and to develop safe and effective ways to prevent and treat delirium.”
Two studies, “Delirium: A Strategic Plan to Bring an Ancient Disease into the 21st Century,” and “Biomarkers for Delirium — A Review,” both appear in a supplement devoted to delirium in the November issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Both articles were published by IU researchers.
