Abstract

GONZALEZ PEREZ, Augusto César  and  LLIBRE RODRIGUEZ, Juan de Jesús. Acute confusional state in the aged patient. Rev Cub Med Mil [online]. 2001, vol.30, suppl.5, pp.89-96. ISSN 0138-6557.

The acute confusional state or delirium as it is known in world medical literature is an important syndrome in the medicine of the elderly. This state is characterized by a global disorder in cognition and attention, low consciousness level, increased or decreased psychomotor activity and disorders of dream-wakefulness cycle, sudden onset and worsening of this state during the night, accompanied by perception disorders like delusions, visual and hearing hallucinations. The prognosis is severe since 11-24% of the elderly admitted to the hospital is presented with this syndrome, which may develop in 35% of in-patients. Over 30% of patients suffering from delirium die. The therapy includes examination, pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures in addition to diagnosis and treatment of the etiology.

Keywords : DELIRIUM, DEMENTIA, AMNESTIC, COGNITIVE DISORDERS [diagnosis]; DELIRIUM,DEMENTIA, AMNESTIC, COGNITIVE DISORDERS [etiology]; AGED [psychology].

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