Delirium risk factors
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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 is caused by variety of causes but likelihood of having delirium depends on various risk factors.
Risk Factors
Common risk factors associated with delirium include:
- Older age
- Dementia
- Hypertension
- Emergency surgery or trauma before ICU admission
- Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE-II) score
- Mechanical ventilation
- Metabolic acidosis
- Delirium on the prior day
- Coma
Modifiable Risk Factors
- Sensory impairment (hearing or vision)
- Immobilization (catheters or restraints)
- Offending drugs (for example, sedative hypnotics, narcotics, anticholinergic drugs, corticosteroid, polypharmacy, withdrawal of alcohol or other drugs)
- Acute neurological pathology (for example, acute stroke [usually right parietal], intracranial hemorrhage, meningitis, encephalitis)
- Intercurrent illness (for example, infections, iatrogenic complications, severe acute illness, anemia, dehydration, poor nutritional status, fracture or trauma, HIV infection)
- Metabolic impairment
- Surgery
- Stressful surroundings (for example, admission to an intensive care unit)
- Pain
- Emotional stress
- Lack of sleep
Non-Modifiable Risk Factors
- Cognitive impairment
- Older age (>65 years)
- History of delirium, stroke, neurological disease, falls or gait disorder
- Associating multiple medical aliments
- Gender: Male over females
- Renal or hepatic pathology[1]