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Delirium in the older person with cancer
Author(s) -
Weinrich Sally,
Sarna Linda
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19941001)74:7+<2079::aid-cncr2820741716>3.0.co;2-0
Subject(s) - delirium , dementia , medicine , confusion , intensive care medicine , cancer , depression (economics) , psychiatry , psychological intervention , medical diagnosis , psychology , disease , pathology , psychoanalysis , economics , macroeconomics
Delirium occurs in 25–40% of patients with cancer and in as many as 85% of patients with advanced cancer. Delirium, or acute confusion, can be short term and reversible and differs from dementia, which is chronic and irreversible. Accurate assessment is critical for effective treatment and to reduce the increased mortality associated with delirium. Assessment for differentiating depression as well as dementia is needed, because mistaken diagnoses often prolong and exacerbate the symptoms of delirium. Different treatment strategies are appropriate depending on the cause(s) of confusion. In this article, risk factors and assessment tools are reviewed, and interventions for delirium in older persons with cancer are presented. Future areas for research are identified, because there is a paucity of research on delirium in older patients with cancer.