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Dementia, Delirium, and Coma

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Family Medicine

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Abstract

Alterations in mental status ranging from mild forgetfulness and confusion to full-blown delirium and coma are common clinical problems in primary care. Studies1–3 have shown that 15% to 30% of hospitalized elderly patients experience delirium, and more than 40% of individuals over age 90 suffer from dementing illness. The enlarging elderly population combined with the aging brain’s exquisite vulnerability to changes in physiologic milieu accounts for this formidable prevalence of patients with disturbed cognitive (cerebral) function. This chapter addresses the clinical approach to the syndromes of dementia, delirium, and coma. Because the underlying causes of these syndromes are myriad and the clinical presentations so varied, physicians are faced with an imposing diagnostic challenge that requires a systematic and disciplined approach.

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Authors
  1. Frank S. Celestino
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Medicine, Oregon Health Sciences University, School of Medicine, Portland, 97201, OR, USA

    Robert B. Taylor M.D. (Professor and Chairman) (Professor and Chairman)

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© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Celestino, F.S. (1994). Dementia, Delirium, and Coma. In: Taylor, R.B. (eds) Family Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4005-9_64

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4005-9_64

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-4007-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-4005-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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