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How does delirium affect recovery?
How does delirium affect a person?
How can a person recover from delirium?
May 24, 2024 · Delirium is very common in people in their last days of life, affecting up to half of people in this situation. It’s important to identify the delirium and, where possible, consider if there are easily treatable triggers.
For many people the symptoms of delirium usually improve in a few days, once the underlying causes have been treated. However, some people don’t make a quick or full recovery and may still be having problems with memory and thinking several weeks or even months after becoming unwell.
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Causes
- Risk Factors
- Complications
- Prevention
Delirium is a serious change in mental abilities. It results in confused thinking and a lack of awareness of someone's surroundings. The disorder usually comes on fast — within hours or a few days. Delirium can often be traced to one or more factors. Factors may include a severe or long illness or an imbalance in the body, such as low sodium. The d...
Symptoms of delirium usually begin over a few hours or a few days. They typically occur with a medical problem. Symptoms often come and go during the day. There may be periods of no symptoms. Symptoms tend to be worse at night when it's dark and things look less familiar. They also tend to be worse in settings that aren't familiar, such as in a hos...
Delirium occurs when signals in the brain aren't sent and received properly. The disorder may have a single cause or more than one cause. For example, a medical condition combined with the side effects of a medicine could cause delirium. Sometimes no cause can be found. Possible causes include: 1. Certain medicines or medicine side effects 2. Alcoh...
Any condition that results in a hospital stay increases the risk of delirium. This is mostly true when someone is recovering from surgery or is put in intensive care. Delirium is more common in older adults and in people who live in nursing homes. Examples of other conditions that may increase the risk of delirium include: 1. Brain disorders such a...
Delirium may last only a few hours or as long as several weeks or months. If the causes are addressed, the recovery time is often shorter. Recovery depends to some extent on the health and mental status before symptoms began. People with dementia, for example, may experience an overall decline in memory and thinking skills after a delirium episode....
The best way to prevent delirium is to target risk factors that might trigger an episode. Hospital settings present a special challenge. Hospital stays often involve room changes, invasive procedures, loud noises and poor lighting. Lack of natural light and lack of sleep can make confusion worse. Some steps can help prevent or reduce the severity o...
Delirium has a fluctuating course and recovery can be rapid or take weeks to months [Wilson, 2020]. Persistent delirium occurs more often in older hospitalized patients, and is associated with adverse outcomes [Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine, 2012; Wilson, 2020].
Sep 7, 2022 · Delirium is an abrupt change in the brain that causes mental confusion. Symptoms include unclear speaking or thinking, drowsiness, short-term memory loss, and more.
Sometimes, there is no treatable cause of delirium; in these cases, the person may just need time and rest to recover. If the person is particularly distressed, they may be given calming or sedating medication in the short term.
It is always a serious condition and while many people make a complete recovery, some unfortunately do not completely return to how they were previously. Delirium often has multiple causes, which can make it difficult to recognise and treat. The chances of suffering from delirium increase with age.
