Delirium causes: Difference between revisions
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===Causes in Alphabetical Order=== | ===Causes in Alphabetical Order=== | ||
{{ | {{columns-list|3| | ||
*[[Altitude sickness|Acute altitude sickness]] | |||
*[[Acute intermittent porphyria]] | *[[Acute intermittent porphyria]] | ||
*[[Acute liver failure]] | *[[Acute liver failure]] | ||
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*[[Adrenal cortex insufficiency]] | *[[Adrenal cortex insufficiency]] | ||
*[[Alcohol withdrawal]] | *[[Alcohol withdrawal]] | ||
*[[Antihistamines]] | *[[Antihistamines]] | ||
*[[Antipsychotics]] | *[[Antipsychotics]] | ||
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*[[Head injury]] | *[[Head injury]] | ||
*[[Heart failure]] | *[[Heart failure]] | ||
*[[Heat stroke]] | *[[Heat stroke]] | ||
*[[Heroin]] | *[[Heroin]] | ||
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*[[Meningoencephalitis]] | *[[Meningoencephalitis]] | ||
*[[Methanol]] | *[[Methanol]] | ||
*[[Toxic mushrooms|Monomethylhydrazine]] | |||
*[[Muscle relaxant]] | *[[Muscle relaxant]] | ||
*[[Neurocysticercosis]] | *[[Neurocysticercosis]] | ||
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*[[Nonconvulsive status epilepticus]] | *[[Nonconvulsive status epilepticus]] | ||
*[[Organic solvent]] | *[[Organic solvent]] | ||
*[[Phaeochromocytoma]] | *[[Phaeochromocytoma]] | ||
*[[Phencyclidine]] | *[[Phencyclidine]] | ||
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*[[Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome|Systemic organ failure]] | *[[Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome|Systemic organ failure]] | ||
*[[Mescalbean|Texas Mescalbean poisoning]] | *[[Mescalbean|Texas Mescalbean poisoning]] | ||
*[[Thallium|Thallium Sulfate poisoning]] | |||
*[[Thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency]] | *[[Thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency]] | ||
*[[Thrombocytosis]] | *[[Thrombocytosis]] | ||
*[[Toluene]] | *[[Toluene]] | ||
*[[Trauma]] | *[[Trauma]] | ||
*[[Typhoid fever]] | *[[Typhoid fever]] | ||
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*[[Wernicke's encephalopathy]] | *[[Wernicke's encephalopathy]] | ||
*[[Wilson's disease]] | *[[Wilson's disease]] | ||
*Withdrawal states e.g. [[ethanol]], [[benzodiazepines]] | |||
*[[Zanamivir]] | *[[Zanamivir]] | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 20:22, 3 May 2015
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Delirium Microchapters |
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Diagnosis |
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Treatment |
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Delirium On the Web |
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American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Delirium |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Pratik Bahekar, MBBS [2]; Vishal Khurana, M.B.B.S., M.D. [3]
Overview
Delirium may be caused by severe physical or mental illness, or any process which interferes with the normal metabolism or function of the brain e.g.fever, pain, poison (including toxic drug reactions), brain injury, surgery, traumatic shock, severe lack of food or water or sleep, and even withdrawal symptoms of certain drug and alcohol dependent states, are all known to cause delirium. In addition, there is an interaction between acute and chronic symptoms of brain dysfunction; delirious states are more easily produced in people already suffering with underlying chronic brain dysfunction.
A very common cause of delirium in elderly people is a urinary tract infection, which is easily treatable with antibiotics, reversing the delirium. Delirium, like mental confusion, is a very general and nonspecific symptom of organ dysfunction, where the organ in question is the brain. In addition to many organic causes relating to a structural defect or a metabolic problem in the brain (analogous to hardware problems in a computer), there are also some psychiatric causes, which may also include a component of mental or emotional stress, mental disease, or other "programming" problems (analogous to software problems in a computer).
Life Threatening Causes
Life-threatening causes include conditions which may result in death or permanent disability within 24 hours if left untreated.
- Acute liver failure
- Acute Metabolic (acidosis, alkalosis, renal failure, electrolyte imbalances)
- Acute vascular (Stroke, MI, PE, heart failure)
- Adrenal cortex insufficiency
- Acute Altitude sickness
- Brain infection
- Decompression sickness
- Gangrene
- Head injury
- Hyperosmolar non-ketotic diabetic coma
- Hyperthermia
- Hypoglycemia
- Hypothermia
- Hypoxia
- Hypoxemia
- Raised intracranial pressure
- Rickettsiae
- Sepsis
- Toxins/drugs
- Withdrawal
Common Causes of Delirium
A mnemonic for the myriad causes of Delirium: IWATCHDEATH
- Infections (Pneumonia, Urinary Tract Infections)
- Withdrawal (ethanol, opiate)
- Acute Metabolic (acidosis, alkalosis, renal failure, electrolyte imbalances)
- Trauma (acute severe pain)
- Central nervous system pathology (epilepsy, cerebral hemorrhage)
- Hypoxia
- Vitamin Deficiencies (vitamin B12, thiamine)
- Endocriopathies
- Acute vascular (Stroke, MI, PE, heart failure)
- Heavy metals
- Toxins/drugs.