Delirium: Longer Hospital Stays, Higher Mortality & Higher Chance of Developing Dementia

<p>Delirium, while often reversible, is not something that can be casually dismissed, especially when it develops in an older adult.</p> <p>According to a recent <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0163834312002009">study</a> published in the journal <em>General Hospital Psychiatry</em>, the presence of delirium for hospital patients in intensive care units is associated with longer hospital stays and a higher rate of death. Other research has shown that delirium is also connected with a greater likelihood of <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://alzheimers.about.com/od/helpyoumayneed/a/Frequently-Asked-Questions-About-Nursing-Homes-And-Dementia-Care.htm">long term care (nursing home)</a> placement.</p> <p>Yet another <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/135/9/2809.full?sid=4a215262-c27b-493e-8329-36fcab549826">study</a> of more than 500 people published in the jouranl <em>Brain</em> found that the risk of developing <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://alzheimers.about.com/od/typesofdementia/a/What-Is-Dementia.htm">dementia</a> after experiencing delirium was significantly greater than for those who had not suffered from delirium.</p> <p><strong>So, Now What?<br /&...
Source: About Alzheimers Disease - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news