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The Association Between Delirium and Cognitive Decline: A Review of the Empirical Literature

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Abstract

Delirium is a common neurobehavioral syndrome that occurs across health care settings which is associated with adverse outcomes, including death. There are limited data on long-term cognitive outcomes following delirium. This report reviews the literature regarding relationships between delirium and cognitive impairment. Psych Info and Medline searches and investigation of secondary references for all English language articles on delirium and subsequent cognitive impairment were carried out. Nine papers met inclusion criteria and documented cognitive impairment in patients following delirium. Four papers reported greater cognitive impairment among patients with delirium than matched controls. Four papers reported higher incidence of dementia in patients with a history of delirium. One study found 1 of 3 survivors of critical illness with delirium developed cognitive impairment. The evidence suggests a relationship between delirium and cognitive impairment, although significant questions remain regarding the nature of this association. Additional research on delirium-related effects on long-term cognitive outcome is needed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Allergy/Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine, Center for Health Services Research, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee

    James C. Jackson & E. Wesley Ely

  2. Center for Health Services Research, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee

    Sharon M. Gordon

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee

    Sharon M. Gordon

  4. VA Tennessee Valley Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Nashville, Tennessee

    Sharon M. Gordon & E. Wesley Ely

  5. Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems, Richmond, Virginia

    Robert P. Hart

  6. Psychology Department and Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

    Ramona O. Hopkins

  7. Department of Medicine, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Divisions, LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah

    Ramona O. Hopkins

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Jackson, J.C., Gordon, S.M., Hart, R.P. et al. The Association Between Delirium and Cognitive Decline: A Review of the Empirical Literature. Neuropsychol Rev 14, 87–98 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:NERV.0000028080.39602.17

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