Dementia Among Medical Inpatients

Delirium and dementia in acute medical admissions of elderly patients in Iceland

“…A retrospective autopsy study in Iceland showed that the prevalence of dementia was estimated to rise fourfold from the age of 70 to 90 (20). A number of studies have shown the prevalence of dementia in general medical wards to be higher than in the community (2, 12, [21][22][23][24] and this is in accordance with our results, showing the prevalence of dementia to be 28% in our study population.…”

Post‐Operative Delirium: Predictors and Prognosis in Elderly Orthopedic Patients

“…Delirium occurring in patients hospitalized for medical conditions reportedly predicts a 15%–30% risk of in‐hospital mortality 3 , 17 – 20 , 23 , 24 . Acute delirium in medical patients is also associated with higher rates of other acute complications, prolonged hospital stay, permanent cognitive dysfunction, and an inability to return to independent living 1 , 3 , 19 , 21 . While previous reports of hospitalized elderly patients with acute delirium have described a 15%–30% incidence of progression to stupor, coma, and death, none of these complications occurred in any patient in this study.…”

“…The endocrine response to surgery leads to significant fluctuations in metabolic state, for example changes in oxygen consumption and electrolyte balance 69 . Post‐operative metabolic disturbances can result in delirium, particularly in the elderly 19 , 21 , 70 . Sleep deprivation and the stimuli of unfamiliar environments such as post‐operative recovery units may also increase vulnerability to delirium.…”

The Prevalence and Correlates of Major and Minor Depression in Older Medical Inpatients

“…Patients admitted to the intensive care or cardiac monitoring units were screened after transfer to a medical ward. Eligible patients were screened using the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire; 34 those with five or more errors (indicating moderate–severe cognitive impairment) 35 were excluded because the presence of such cognitive impairment complicates diagnosis and measurement of depression 26,36 . Patients were then screened for major or minor depression (DSM‐IV criteria) using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule 37 .…”