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Child with Altered Mental Status

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Symptom-Based Approach to Pediatric Neurology

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Abstract

Altered mental status has a wide range of severity and broad differential diagnosis. Children with altered mental status may be even more challenging to diagnose than adults due to developmental considerations. In this chapter, we review epidemiology, etiology, and differential diagnosis for children with altered mental status. Key history and physical examination findings may guide the clinician in diagnosis and can help determine additional testing and imaging. A focused history and physical examination are key in identifying patients who need emergent stabilization and can provide important information that may help identify the etiology of the child’s altered mental status. We review outcomes for children with altered mental status and key clinical pearls.

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Disclosures

The authors have not disclosed any potential conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Central Michigan University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA

    Katherine Cashen & Amarillis Martin

  2. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, USA

    Katherine Cashen

  3. Division of Critical Care Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA

    Ahmed Aly

Authors
  1. Katherine Cashen
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  2. Amarillis Martin
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  3. Ahmed Aly
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katherine Cashen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA

    Deepak M. Kamat

  2. Pediatrics and Neurology, Central Michigan University Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI, USA

    Lalitha Sivaswamy

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© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

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Cashen, K., Martin, A., Aly, A. (2022). Child with Altered Mental Status. In: Kamat, D.M., Sivaswamy, L. (eds) Symptom-Based Approach to Pediatric Neurology . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10494-7_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10494-7_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-10493-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-10494-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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