Age & Ageing: In 1 in 4 hospitalizations, recurrent delirium can increase dementia risk by 7.8 times!

Delirium is a sudden, fluctuating cognitive impairment, often induced by acute illness, that specifically affects levels of attention and arousal

To quantify the relationship between delirium and cognitive function, experts from the Translational and Clinical Research Institute, School of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, UK, conducted a study to prospectively determine delirium in a cohort aged ≥65 years with baseline cognitive Known has been previously identified and the results were published in the journal Age & Ageing

Participants in the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study II-Newcastle were assessed for delirium on admission daily for 12 months

Of the 205 participants recruited, 82 developed delirium in the hospital (40%)

Taken together, delirium increases the risk of future cognitive decline and dementia independent of disease severity and baseline cognitive performance, with more episodes associated with worse cognitive performance

references:

Recurrent delirium over 12 months predicts dementia: results of the Delirium and Cognitive Impact in Dementia (DECIDE) study , Age and Ageing, Volume 50, Issue 3, May 2021, Pages 914–920, https://doi.