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How do you know if you have delirium?
What does delirium look like?
What is delirium & how does it affect a person?
What does delirium mean?
How do you know if a person has dementia or delirium?
What if someone suddenly becomes confused (delirium)?
NHS information about sudden confusion (delirium), including how to tell if someone is confused and when to get medical help.
- 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 is a change in a person’s mental state that happens suddenly over 1-2 days. It’s often the first sign that someone is becoming unwell. Delirium can look different from one person to the next. Some people may become agitated or distressed while others are drowsy or withdrawn.
Delirium is a sudden change in a person’s mental state. It is a serious condition that is sometimes mistaken for dementia or, more rarely, depression. Unlike dementia, delirium develops quickly and is usually temporary. Having delirium can mean: longer hospital stays. increased risk of dementia.
About 2 in every 10 hospital patients have a period of delirium. It is even more likely if someone has to be looked after on an Intensive Care Unit. Delirium is more common if you are: older; have memory problems; have poor hearing or eyesight; have recently had surgery; have a terminal illness
They can seem alert or drowsy (sleepy). They might also have memory problems or see and hear things that are not there. Depending on how bad the delirium is, a person may need to go into hospital for treatment and management. For others, delirium can be treated at home.
