Is brain imaging necessary for febrile elderly patients with altered mental status? A retrospective multicenter study

Objective Altered mental status (AMS) is one of the most common symptoms in the febrile elderly. Brain imaging tests are an important tool for diagnosing AMS patients. However, these may be prescribed unnecessarily in emergency departments, particularly for febrile patients with AMS for whom infection is suspected, leading to excessive radiation risk and cost. In this study, we investigated the factors that can predict clinically significant abnormal brain imaging (ABI) in the febrile elderly with AMS. Methods This retrospective multicenter study was conducted from July 2016 to June 2019. Febrile patients over the age of 65 years with AMS who visited the emergency department of two tertiary university hospitals were enrolled. Medical records were reviewed, and laboratory results were obtained. Brain imaging results with a formal reading by a radiologist were obtained. Results In all, 285 patients were enrolled, and 47 (16.49%) showed ABI. The most common diagnoses in patients admitted to the emergency department were intracranial hemorrhage and ischemic stroke for ABI, and pneumonia and urinary tract infection for non-ABI. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, higher systolic blood pressure (odds ratio [OR], 1.017; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.006–1.028), lower body temperature (OR, 0.578; 95% CI, 0.375–0.892), the presence of lateralizing sign (OR, 45.676; 95% CI, 5.015–416.025), and lower Glasgow Coma Scale (OR, 0.718; 95% CI, 0.617–0.837) were significantly associated with ABI. Conclusion Lower Glasgow Coma Scale, the presence of lateralizing sign, higher systolic blood pressure, and lower body temperature are significantly associated with ABI in febrile elderly patients with AMS.