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Delirium or Dementia?
Author(s) -
judy mccroew
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
aorn journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1878-0369
pISSN - 0001-2092
DOI - 10.1016/j.aorn.2012.04.015
Subject(s) - delirium , dementia , citation , psychology , permission , health care , medicine , library science , psychiatry , computer science , political science , disease , law
are conditions that can be confusing, both to experience and to distinguish. Both can cause memory loss, poor judgment, a decreased ability to communicate, and impaired functioning. In contrast to dementia, which is a chronic, progressive disease, delirium is a medical condition that manifests as sudden, severe confusion and rapid changes in brain function. Delirium is a medical emergency requiring prompt detection and treatment of the underlying cause. Individuals living with dementia are highly susceptible to delirium. Unfortunately, it can easily go unrecognized even by healthcare professionals because many symptoms are shared by delirium and dementia. Table 1 (page 4) compares and contrasts the cause and presentation of dementia and delirium. Is it Delirium or Dementia? By Marie Boltz, PhD, RN, GNP-BC