Department of Emergency Medicine

UMEM Educational Pearls

Title: Recognizing Delirium

Category: Neurology

Keywords: delirium (PubMed Search)

Posted: 8/31/2011 by Aisha Liferidge, MD (Updated: 12/3/2024)
Click here to contact Aisha Liferidge, MD

  • Delirium is a symptom, not a diagnosis; the astute clinician must seek to discover and treat the underlying source of delirious states.
  • It is a transient cognitive condition associated with decreased attention span and waxing and waning symptoms.
  • Three types: (1) Hyperactive, (2) Hypoactive, (3) Mixed (daytime somnolence, nighttime agitation).
  • In young patients, the cause is commonly due to toxins or trauma, while that for the elderly is typically infection or medication related.
  • Five critical causes of delirium that must be recognized and treated immediately:
  1. Hypoxia
  2. Hypoglycemia
  3. Central nervous System infections
  4. Hypertensive encephalopathy
  5. Increased intracranial pressure

References

  • Smith J, Seirafi J. Delirium and Dementia. In: Marx J, Hockerberger R, Walls R, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. Phila: Mosby-Elsevier; 2006:1645-63.

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