Predisposing and precipitating factors for delirium in community-dwelling older adults admitted to hospital with this condition: A prospective case series

The evaluation of frequency and predictors of delirium and its short-term and long-term outcomes in hospitalized older adults'

BACKGROUND

Delirium is a common complication in hospitalized older adults with multifactorial etiology and poor health outcomes.

AIM

To determine the frequency and predictors of delirium and its short-term and long-term outcomes in hospitalized older adults.

METHODS

A prospective observational study was performed in patients aged ≥60 years consecutively admitted to geriatric ward. Potential risk factors were assessed within 24 hours of hospital admission. Delirium screening was performed on admission and daily thereafter throughout the hospital stay using Confusion Assessment Method (CAM). Patients were followed up at 1-year post-discharge.

RESULTS

The study included 200 patients with mean age 73.1 ± 8.83 years. Incidence and prevalence rate of delirium were 5% and 20% respectively. Multivariable regression analysis revealed emergency admission (OR= 5.12 (1.94-13.57), p=0.001), functional dependency (Katz index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (Katz-ADL) score <5) 2 weeks before admission (OR= 3.08 (1.30-7.33), p=0.011) and more psychopathological symptoms (higher Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) total score) (OR=1.12 (1.06-1.18), p=0.001) to be independently associated with delirium. Patients in delirium group had significantly high in-hospital mortality (OR= 5.02 (2.12-11.8), p=0.001) and post-discharge mortality (HR= 2.02 (1.13-3.61), p=0.017) and functional dependency (Katz-ADL score <5) (OR= 5.45 (1.49-19.31), p=0.01) at 1-year follow up.

CONCLUSION

Delirium is quite frequent in geriatric inpatients and is associated with high in-hospital and post-discharge mortality risk and long-term functional dependency. Emergency admission, pre-hospitalization functional dependency, and more general psychopathological symptoms are independently associated factors. Hence, earliest identification and treatment with early implementation of rehabilitation services is warranted.

Evaluating Nutritional Risk Factors for Delirium in Intensive-Care-Unit Patients: Present Insights and Prospects for Future Research

Malnutrition, hypercatabolism, and metabolic changes are well-established risk factors for delirium in critically ill patients. Although the exact mechanisms are not fully understood, there is mounting evidence suggesting that malnutrition can cause a variety of changes that contribute to delirium, such as electrolyte imbalances, immune dysfunction, and alterations in drug metabolism. Therefore, a comprehensive metabolic and malnutrition assessment, along with appropriate nutritional support, may help to prevent or ameliorate malnutrition, reduce hypercatabolism, and improve overall physiological function, ultimately lowering the risk of delirium. For this aim, bioelectrical impedance analysis can represent a valuable strategy. Further research into the underlying mechanisms and nutritional risk factors for delirium is crucial to developing more effective prevention strategies. Understanding these processes will allow clinicians to personalize treatment plans for individual patients, leading to improved outcomes and quality of life in the intensive-care-unit survivors.

Exploring the Pathophysiology of Delirium: An Overview of Biomarker Studies, Animal Models, and Tissue-Engineered Models

Delirium is an acute brain disorder associated with disorganized thinking, difficulty focusing, and confusion that commonly follows major surgery, severe infection, and illness. Older patients are at high risk for developing delirium during hospitalization, which may contribute to increased morbidity, longer hospitalization, and increased risk of institutionalization following discharge. The pathophysiology underlying delirium remains poorly studied. This review delves into the findings from biomarker studies and animal models, and highlights the potential for tissue-engineered models of the brain in studying this condition. The aim is to bring together the existing knowledge in the field and provide insight into the future direction of delirium research.

Altered Tryptophan-Kynurenine Pathway in Delirium: A Review of the Current Literature

Delirium, a common form of acute brain dysfunction, is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, especially in older patients. The underlying pathophysiology of delirium is not clearly understood, but acute systemic inflammation is known to drive delirium in cases of acute illnesses, such as sepsis, trauma, and surgery. Based on psychomotor presentations, delirium has three main subtypes, such as hypoactive, hyperactive, and mixed subtype. There are similarities in the initial presentation of delirium with depression and dementia, especially in the hypoactive subtype. Hence, patients with hypoactive delirium are frequently misdiagnosed. The altered kynurenine pathway (KP) is a promising molecular pathway implicated in the pathogenesis of delirium. The KP is highly regulated in the immune system and influences neurological functions. The activation of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, and specific KP neuroactive metabolites, such as quinolinic acid and kynurenic acid, could play a role in the event of delirium. Here, we collectively describe the roles of the KP and speculate on its relevance in delirium.

Proteomics for the Discovery of Clinical Delirium Biomarkers: A Systematic Review of Major Studies

Delirium represents a significant health care burden, diagnosed in more than 2 million elderly Americans each year. In the surgical population, delirium remains the most common complication among elderly patients, and is associated with longer hospital stays, higher costs of care, increased mortality, and functional impairment. The pathomechanism of disease is poorly understood, with current diagnostic approaches somewhat subjective and arbitrary, and definitive diagnostic biomarkers are currently lacking. Despite the recent interest in delirium research, biomarker discovery for it remains new. Most attempts to discover biomarkers are targeted studies that seek to assess the involvement of one or more members of a focused panel of candidates in delirium. For a more unbiased, system-biology view, we searched literature from Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Cochrane Central, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and Dimensions between 2016 and 2021 for untargeted proteomic discovery studies for biomarkers of delirium conducted on human geriatric subjects. Two reviewers conducted an independent review of all search results and resolved discordance by consensus. From an overall search of 1172 publications, 8 peer-reviewed studies met our defined inclusion criteria. The 370 unique perioperative biomarkers identified in these reports are enriched in pathways involving activation of the immune system, inflammatory response, and the coagulation cascade. The most frequently identified biomarker was interleukin-6 (IL-6). By reviewing the distribution of protein biomarker candidates from these studies, we conclude that a panel of proteins, rather than a single biomarker, would allow for discriminating delirium cases from noncases. The paucity of hypothesis-generating studies in the peer-reviewed literature also suggests that a system-biology view of delirium pathomechanisms has yet to fully emerge.

Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and platelet to lymphocyte ratio as prognostic predictors for delirium in critically ill patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aim to analyze the current literature to evaluate neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) values among critically ill patients who develop delirium as compared to those who do not.

METHODS

PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were used to conduct a systematic search for relevant publications published before June 12, 2022. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used for quality assessment. Because a significant level of heterogeneity was found, we used the random-effects model to generate pooled effects.

RESULTS

Twenty-four studies including 11,579 critically ill patients, of whom 2439 were diagnosed with delirium, were included in our meta-analysis. Compared with the non-delirious group, the delirious group's NLR levels were significantly higher (WMD = 2.14; CI 95% = 1.48-2.80, p < 0.01). In the subgroup analysis according to the type of critical condition, the NLR levels in patients of delirious group were significantly more than those of non-delirious group in studies on POD, PSD and PCD (WMD = 1.14, CI 95% = 0.38-1.91, p < 0.01, WMD = 1.38, CI 95% = 1.04-1.72, p < 0.001, and WMD = 4.22, CI 95% = 3.47-4.98, p < 0.001, respectively). However, compared with the non-delirious group, the delirious group's PLR levels were not significantly different (WMD = 1.74; CI 95% = -12.39-15.86, p = 0.80).

CONCLUSION

Our findings support NLR to be a promising biomarker that can be readily integrated into clinical settings to aid in the prediction and prevention of delirium.

Urinary Tract Infection Induced Delirium in Elderly Patients: A Systematic Review

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is common in older adults, mainly due to several age-related risk factors. Symptoms of UTI are atypical in the elderly population, like hypotension, tachycardia, urinary incontinence, poor appetite, drowsiness, frequent falls, and delirium. UTI manifests more commonly and specifically for this age group as delirium or confusion in the absence of a fever. This systematic review aims to highlight the relationship between UTI and delirium in the elderly population by understanding the pathologies individually and collectively. A systematic review is conducted by searching PubMed with regular keywords and major Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) keywords, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. The inclusion criteria consisted of studies based on male and female human populations above the age of 65 in the English language, available in full text published between 2017 and 2022. However, the exclusion criteria were animal studies, clinical trials, literature published before 2017, and papers published in any other language except English. A total of 106 articles were identified, and nine final studies were selected after a quality assessment, following which a valid relationship between delirium and UTI was identified in this systematic review.

The Role of Vascular Risk Factors in Post-Stroke Delirium: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Vascular risk factors may predispose to post-stroke delirium (PSD). A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed by searching PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. The primary outcome was the prevalence of vascular risk factors in PSD vs. non-PSD patients. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and mean differences (MDs) with 95% CIs were calculated for categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Fixed effects or random effects models were used in case of low- or high-statistical heterogeneity, respectively. We found an increased prevalence of atrial fibrillation (OR = 1.74, p = 0.0004), prior stroke (OR = 1.48, p < 0.00001), coronary artery disease (OR = 1.48, p < 0.00001), heart failure (OR = 2.01, p < 0.0001), and peripheral vascular disease (OR = 2.03, p < 0.00001) in patients with vs. without PSD. PSD patients were older (MD = 5.27 y, p < 0.00001) compared with their non-PSD counterparts. Advanced age, atrial fibrillation, prior stroke, coronary artery disease, heart failure, and peripheral vascular disease appeared to be significantly associated with PSD.

Survival of Frail Elderly with Delirium

This study aims to determine when frailty increases the risks of delirium mortality. Hospital patients falling into the elderly frail or pre-frail category were recruited, some without delirium, some with delirium at admission, and some who developed delirium during admission. We screened for frailty, cognitive status, and co-morbidities whenever possible and extracted drug information and mortality data from electronic health records. Kaplan–Meier estimates of survival probability functions were computed at four times, comparing delirium versus non delirium patients. Differences in survival were assessed by a log-rank test. Independent Cox’s regression was carried out to identify significant hazard risks (HR) at 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years. Delirium predicted mortality (log-rank test, p < 0.0001) at all four censoring points. Variables with significant HRs were frailty indicators, comorbidities, polypharmacy, and the use of specific drugs. For the delirium cohort, variables with the most significant 2-year hazard risks (HR(95%CI)) were: male gender (0.43 20 (0.26,0.69)), weight loss (0.45 (0.26,0.74)), sit and stand up test (0.67 (0.49,0.92)), readmission within 30 days of discharge (0.50 (0.30,0.80)), cerebrovascular disease (0.45 (0.27,0.76)), head trauma (0.54 22 (0.29,0.98)), number of prescribed drugs (1.10 (1.03,1.18)), and the use of diuretics (0.57 (0.34,0.96)). These results suggest that polypharmacy and the use of diuretics increase mortality in frail elderly patients with delirium.

Incidence of delirium following hospitalization of elderly people with fractures: risk factors and mortality

OBJECTIVE

To identify the incidence, risk factors for delirium, and its association with death in the elderly hospitalized with fractures.

METHOD

Prospective cohort, with a one-year follow-up of elderly people with clinical or radiological diagnosis of fracture, from an emergency and trauma hospital in the state of Goiás. The outcome delirium was defined by the medical description in the medical record. The predictor variables were demographic, health conditions, and hospitalization complications. A hierarchical multiple analysis was performed using robust Poisson regression, with Relative Risk as a measure of effect.

RESULTS

A total of 376 elderly patients were included. The incidence of delirium was 12.8% (n = 48). Risk factors were male gender, age ≥80 years, dementia, heart disease, osteoporosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, high-energy traumas, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, and surgery. The risk of death in the sample was 1.97 times higher (HR: 1.97 95% CI 1.19-3.25) in elderly people with delirium.

CONCLUSION

Delirium had an intermediate incidence (12.8%); the risk of death in this group was about 2 times higher in one year after hospital admission. Demographic factors, past history of diseases, surgery, and complications have increased the risk and require monitoring during hospitalization of elderly people with fractures.

A Preliminary Scoring Model to Predict In-hospital Mortality Risk for Geriatric Patients with Delirium

BACKGROUND: Elderly patients are at an increased risk of death, particularly those with altered mental status. AIM: We aimed to develop a scoring model from simple clinical data and routine laboratory testing to aid in predicting in-hospital mortality risk for geriatric patients with delirium. METHODS: A total of 73 hospitalized geriatric patients with delirium were included in the study. A multivariate regression analysis employed to obtain independent risk factors to predict in-hospital mortality. All patients were followed until dead or discharged from hospital. The formula of (B/SE)/lowest B/SE was used to calculate the scores for each variable with strong discrimination power to be included in scoring system. RESULTS: A total of 25 (34.2%) of patients were death when being hospitalized. The mean age of the patients was 73.27 ± 7.8. From a total of 20 probable variables, three variables were then included in constructing the scoring model; no caregiver (p < 0.012), abnormal diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.05), and abnormal serum SGOT levels (p < 0.03). Each variable was scored as 1, following the use of formula. Total score ranges from 0 to maximum of 3. The cutoff score of ≥ 2 provided the best accuracy with sensitivity of 40% and specificity of 89.6% (p < 0.001). The probability of in-hospital mortality was 8.8%, 32.6%, 70.8%, and 92.4% for the total score of 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively. CONCLUSION: This novel scoring system with simple examination may aid to identify geriatric patients with delirium which possess higher risk for in-hospital mortality.

Development and validation of an aetiology in delirium diagnostic support tool

BACKGROUND

recognition of the multifactorial causes of delirium represents a clinical challenge.

OBJECTIVES

to develop and show proof of principle of a diagnostic support tool (DST) for identification of causes of delirium.

METHODS

stage 1-development of the aetiology in delirium-diagnostic support tool (AiD-DST); stage 2-validation of the AiD-DST against reference standard diagnosis, based on clinical assessment from two independent consultant geriatricians.

RESULTS

a series of eight steps AiD-DST were formulated by an expert group to identify possible causes of delirium. Forty inpatients admitted to a general medical unit with a consultant physician/geriatrician diagnosis of delirium were recruited, consented and reviewed against the AiD-DST. Mean age was 85.1 (standard deviation 7.9) years and 26 (65%) of participants were female. Participants had multiple chronic co-morbidities [median Charlson Comorbidity Index 7; interquartile range (IQR 6-9)] and median number of medications was 8 (IQR 6-11.75). Median number of causes of delirium detected on AiD-DST was 3 (IQR 3-4) versus 5 (IQR 3-6) using the reference standard diagnosis, with sensitivity of 88.8% (95% confidence interval, 81.6-93.9%) and specificity of 71.8% (63-79.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

the aetiology in delirium DST shows promise in the identification of cause(s) in delirium.

A retrospective study of factors associated with persistent delirium

BACKGROUND

It has been reported that delirium causes various problems. Many researchers have reported the risk factors associated with the onset of delirium; however, there are few reports focused on persistent delirium. This study aimed to identify the risk factors associated with persistent delirium.

METHODS

A total of 573 patients hospitalised in Nara Prefecture General Medical Centre from October 2014 through September 2017 who were referred to the psychiatry consultation service were included in this study. Persistent delirium was defined as delirium lasting for 14 days or more. A retrospective study was carried out based on the patients' records. The relationship between various background factors and persistent delirium was statistically analysed.

RESULTS

Of the 573 hospitalised patients, 295 were diagnosed as having delirium. Forty-six patients with persistent delirium and 181 patients with nonpersistent delirium were included in this study. Multivariable logistic regression analyses revealed that male gender, opioid analgesics use, non-opioid analgesics use, and low serum sodium were significantly and independently associated with persistent delirium. Ramelteon or trazodone was used significantly more in persistent delirium, although each use was not significant.

CONCLUSION

This is the first study to reveal that male gender and use of analgesics were associated with persistent delirium in general hospital. However, as this is a case-control study and may contain bias, future cohort studies and intervention studies are needed. It is also necessary to investigate the relevance of the 'degree of pain' behind the use of analgesics.

Delirium in COVID-19: epidemiology and clinical correlations in a large group of patients admitted to an academic hospital

BACKGROUND

Delirium incidence and clinical correlates in coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pneumonia are still poorly investigated.

AIM

To describe the epidemiology of delirium in patients hospitalized for suspect COVID-19 pneumonia during the pandemic peak in an academic hospital of Northern Italy, identify its clinical correlations and evaluate the association with mortality.

METHODS

The clinical records of 852 patients admitted for suspect COVID-19 pneumonia, defined as respiratory symptoms or fever or certain history of contact with COVID-19 patients, plus chest CT imaging compatible with alveolar-interstitial pneumonia, were retrospectively analyzed. Delirium was defined after careful revision of daily clinical reports in accordance with the Confusion Assessment Method criteria. Data on age, clinical presentation, comorbidities, drugs, baseline lab tests and outcome were collected. The factors associated with delirium, and the association of delirium with mortality, were evaluated through binary logistic regression models.

RESULTS

Ninety-four patients (11%) developed delirium during stay. They were older (median age 82, interquartile range, IQR 78-89, vs 75, IQR 63-84, p < 0.001), had more neuropsychiatric comorbidities and worse respiratory exchanges at baseline. At multivariate models, delirium was independently and positively associated with age [odds ratio (OR) 1.093, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.046-1.143, p < 0.001], use of antipsychotic drugs (OR 4.529, 95% CI 1.204-17.027, p = 0.025), serum urea and lactate-dehydrogenase at admission. Despite a higher mortality in patients with delirium (57% vs 30%), this association was not independent of age and respiratory parameters.

CONCLUSIONS

Delirium represents a common complication of COVID-19 and a marker of severe disease course, especially in older patients with neuropsychiatric comorbidity.

Predicting incident delirium diagnoses using data from primary-care electronic health records

IMPORTANCE

risk factors for delirium in hospital inpatients are well established, but less is known about whether delirium occurring in the community or during an emergency admission to hospital care might be predicted from routine primary-care records.

OBJECTIVES

identify risk factors in primary-care electronic health records (PC-EHR) predictive of delirium occurring in the community or recorded in the initial episode in emergency hospitalisation. Test predictive performance against the cumulative frailty index.

DESIGN

Stage 1: case-control; Stages 2 and 3: retrospective cohort.

SETTING

clinical practice research datalink: PC-EHR linked to hospital discharge data from England.

SUBJECTS

Stage 1: 17,286 patients with delirium aged ≥60 years plus 85,607 controls. Stages 2 and 3: patients ≥ 60 years (n = 429,548 in 2015), split into calibration and validation groups.

METHODS

Stage 1: logistic regression to identify associations of 110 candidate risk measures with delirium. Stage 2: calibrating risk factor weights. Stage 3: validation in independent sample using area under the curve (AUC) receiver operating characteristic.

RESULTS

fifty-five risk factors were predictive, in domains including: cognitive impairment or mental illness, psychoactive drugs, frailty, infection, hyponatraemia and anticholinergic drugs. The derived model predicted 1-year incident delirium (AUC = 0.867, 0.852:0.881) and mortality (AUC = 0.846, 0.842:0.853), outperforming the frailty index (AUC = 0.761, 0.740:0.782). Individuals with the highest 10% of predicted delirium risk accounted for 55% of incident delirium over 1 year.

CONCLUSIONS

a risk factor model for delirium using data in PC-EHR performed well, identifying individuals at risk of new onsets of delirium. This model has potential for supporting preventive interventions.

The role of physical exercise and rehabilitation in delirium

PURPOSE

This article aims to analyze the intersections between delirium, physical exercise and rehabilitation, to better understand their interrelation and to visualize future lines of research.

METHODS

In this narrative review, after an overview of brain neurophysiology and function, as common substrates to understand the relationship between delirium and physical function, we explore the scientific evidence in: (1) physical dysfunction as a risk factor for delirium; (2) physical dysfunction as a symptom of delirium and (3) functional consequences related to delirium. Later, we analyze the physical therapy as one of the main strategies in multicomponent interventions to prevent delirium, by examining intervention studies including rehabilitation, which have shown to be effective in managing delirium. Finally, we analyze how frailty, delirium and physical exercise interact with each other.

RESULTS

This review confirms the close relationship between delirium and physical dysfunction; therefore, it is not surprising that physical exercise is widely used in delirium preventive strategies. Although delirium is catalogued as a neurocognitive disorder, scientific evidence shows that it is also a motor disorder, which is to be expected, since a vast body of literature already supports an interaction between motor and cognitive function.

CONCLUSION

The motor component of delirium should be taken into account when designing interventions or strategies to address delirium. These interventions may have a special importance in frail older adults.

Impending Low Intake Dehydration at Admission to A Geriatric Ward- Prevalence and Correlates in a Cross-Sectional Study

Dehydration risk increases with frailty and functional dependency, but a limited number of studies have evaluated this association in hospitalized geriatric patients. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence and determinants of dehydration in patients admitted to the geriatric ward. Dehydration was diagnosed when calculated osmolarity was above 295 mMol/L. Logistic regression analyses (direct and stepwise backward) were used to assess determinants of impending dehydration. 358 of 416 hospitalized patients (86.1%) were included: 274 (76.5%) women, and 309 (86.4%) 75+ year-old. Dehydration was diagnosed in 209 (58.4%) cases. Significantly higher odds for impending dehydration were observed only for chronic kidney disease with trends for diabetes and procognitive medication when controlling for several health, biochemical, and nutritional parameters and medications. After adjusting for “dementia” the negative effect of “taking procognitive medications” became a significant one. Chronic kidney disease, diabetes, taking procognitive medications and hypertension were the main variables for the outcome prediction according to the stepwise backward regression analysis. This may indicate an additional benefit of reducing the risk of dehydration when using procognitive drugs in older patients with dementia.

Characteristics of febrile urinary tract infections in older male adults

Background

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are among the most frequent bacterial infections in older adults. The aim of the study was to analyse the existence of differences in clinical features, microbiological data and risk of infection by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) between older and non-older men with febrile UTI (FUTI).

Methods

This was an ambispective observational study involving older males with a FUTI attended in the Emergency Department. Variables collected included age, comorbidity, diagnostic of healthcare-associated (HCA)-FUTI, clinical manifestations, hospitalization, mortality, and microbiological data.

Results

Five hundred fifty-two males with a FUTI, 329 (59.6%) of whom were older adults, were included. Older males had a higher frequency of HCA-FUTI (p <  0.001), increased Charlson scores (p <  0.001), had received previous antimicrobial treatment more frequently (p <  0.001) and had less lower urinary tract symptoms (p <  0.001). Older patients showed a lower frequency of FUTI caused by E. coli (p <  0.001) and a higher rate of those due to Enterobacter spp. (p = 0.003) and P. aeruginosa (p = 0.033). Resistance rates to cefuroxime (p = 0.038), gentamicin (p = 0.043), and fluoroquinolones (p <  0.001) in E. coli isolates and the prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase and AmpC producing E. coli and Klebsiella spp. strains (p = 0.041) and MDRO (p <  0.001) were increased in older males. Inadequate empirical antimicrobial treatment (p = 0.004), frequency of hospitalization (p <  0.001), and all cause in-hospital mortality (p = 0.007) were higher among older patients. In the multivariate analysis, being admitted from an long term care facility (OR 2.4; 95% CI: 1.06–5.9), having a urinary tract abnormality (OR 2.2; 95% CI: 1.2–3.8) and previous antimicrobial treatment (OR 3.2; 95% CI: 1.9–5.4) were associated to FUTI caused by MDRO.

Conclusions

Older male adults with a FUTI have different clinical characteristics, present specific microbiological features, and antimicrobial resistance rates. In the multivariate analysis being an older male was not associated with an increased risk of FUTI caused by MDRO.

Assessment of Delirium Using the Confusion Assessment Method in Older Adult Inpatients in Malaysia

The detection of delirium in acutely ill older patients is challenging with the lack of informants and the necessity to identify subtle and fluctuating signs. We conducted a cross-sectional study among older patients admitted to a university hospital in Malaysia to determine the presence, characteristics, and mortality outcomes of delirium. Consecutive patients aged ≥65years admitted to acute medical wards were recruited from August to September 2016. Cognitive screening was performed using the mini-mental test examination (MMSE) and the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM). The CAM-Severity (CAM-S) score was also performed in all patients. Of 161 patients recruited, 43 (26.7%) had delirium. At least one feature of delirium from the CAM-S short and long severity scores were present in 48.4% and 67.1%, respectively. Older age (OR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01–1.14), immobility (OR: 3.16, 95% CI: 1.18–8.50), cognitive impairment (OR: 5.04, 95% CI: 2.07–12.24), and malnutrition (OR: 3.37; 95% CI: 1.15–9.85) were significantly associated with delirium. Older patients with delirium had a higher risk of mortality (OR: 7.87, 95% CI: 2.42–25.57). Delirium is common among older patients in our setting. A large proportion of patients had altered mental status on admission to hospital although they did not fulfill the CAM criteria of delirium. This should prompt further studies on strategies to identify delirium and the use of newer, more appropriate assessment tools in this group of vulnerable individuals.

Small Vessels Are a Big Problem in Neurodegeneration and Neuroprotection

The cerebral microcirculation holds a critical position to match the high metabolic demand by neuronal activity. Functionally, microcirculation is virtually inseparable from other nervous system cells under both physiological and pathological conditions. For successful bench-to-bedside translation of neuroprotection research, the role of microcirculation in acute and chronic neurodegenerative disorders appears to be under-recognized, which may have contributed to clinical trial failures with some neuroprotectants. Increasing data over the last decade suggest that microcirculatory impairments such as endothelial or pericyte dysfunction, morphological irregularities in capillaries or frequent dynamic stalls in blood cell flux resulting in excessive heterogeneity in capillary transit may significantly compromise tissue oxygen availability. We now know that ischemia-induced persistent abnormalities in capillary flow negatively impact restoration of reperfusion after recanalization of occluded cerebral arteries. Similarly, microcirculatory impairments can accompany or even precede neural loss in animal models of several neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease. Macrovessels are relatively easy to evaluate with radiological or experimental imaging methods but they cannot faithfully reflect the downstream microcirculatory disturbances, which may be quite heterogeneous across the tissue at microscopic scale and/or happen fast and transiently. The complexity and size of the elements of microcirculation, therefore, require utilization of cutting-edge imaging techniques with high spatiotemporal resolution as well as multidisciplinary team effort to disclose microvascular-neurodegenerative connection and to test treatment approaches to advance the field. Developments in two photon microscopy, ultrafast ultrasound, and optical coherence tomography provide valuable experimental tools to reveal those microscopic events with high resolution. Here, we review the up-to-date advances in understanding of the primary microcirculatory abnormalities that can result in neurodegenerative processes and the combined neurovascular protection approaches that can prevent acute as well as chronic neurodegeneration.

Role of Epileptic Activity in Older Adults With Delirium, a Prospective Continuous EEG Study

Background/Objectives: Delirium occurs in up to 50 % of hospitalized old patients and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Acute medical conditions favor delirium, but the pathophysiology is unclear. Preliminary evidence from retrospective and prospective studies suggests that a substantial minority of old patients with unexplained delirium have non-convulsive seizures or status epilepticus (NCSE). Yet, seeking epileptic activity only in unexplained cases of delirium might result in misinterpretation of its actual prevalence. We aimed to systematically investigate the role of epileptic activity in all older patients with delirium regardless of the underlying etiology.

Design, Setting: Prospective observational study in a tertiary medical center. Adults >65 years with delirium underwent at least 24 h of continuous electro-encephalographic monitoring (cEEG). Background patterns and ictal and interictal epileptic discharges were identified, as well as clinical and biological characteristics.

Participants: Fifty patients were included in the study.

Results: NCSE was found in 6 (12%) patients and interictal discharges in 15 (30%). There was no difference in the prevalence of epileptic activity rates between delirium associated with an acute medical condition and delirium of unknown etiology.

Conclusion: Epileptic activity may play a substantial role in the pathophysiology of delirium by altering brain functioning and neuronal metabolism. No clinical or biological marker was found to distinguish delirious patients with or without epileptic activity, underlining the importance of cEEG in this context.

Urinary tract infections in a geriatric sub-acute ward-health correlates and atypical presentations

Purpose

Bacterial urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most frequently occurring infectious diseases in the geriatric population. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and clinical features of UTIs in geriatric in-patients and their association with health and functional ability characteristics.

Methods

A prospective cross-sectional cohort study was conducted among patients hospitalized on the geriatric ward. Patients were interviewed, examined, and had their hospital records analyzed. An uncontaminated midstream urine sample was collected and cultured in all of the cases suspected for UTI. Relative risks for UTI were counted and multivariable logistic regression model was built.

Results

246 patients were included, 179 (72.8%) women, 210 (85.4%) 75 + -year-olds. Bacterial UTIs occurred in 18.3% of the patients. The main etiological agent was Escherichia coli (73.3%). The most significant predictors of UTI were recurrent UTI and urinary catheter. The typical clinical UTI symptoms occurred in less than half of the cases (only in 11.1% of cases fever was observed). More often, than in patients without UTIs, they reported symptoms such as delirium (28.9% vs. 18%), tachycardia (11.1% vs. 1.5%) or hypotension (20% vs. 12.1%).

Conclusions

Bacterial UTIs affect about 1/5 of hospitalized geriatric patients. The clinical picture of these infections very often is atypical and it indicates a need for diagnostic vigilance.

The Giant Geriatric Syndromes Are Intensified by Diabetic Complications

By 2015, diabetes has affected more than 415 million people over the world. It is anticipated that 640 million adults will suffer from diabetes in 2040. The elongation of the life expectancy, as the result of better general health care, extends also the time when diabetic complications may develop together with other senility-specific problems. The Giant Geriatric Syndromes (Geriatric Giants) have been qualified by the original Nascher's criteria defined more than 100 years ago, but they are becoming more and more relevant in connection with the aging of societies. The criteria comprise the older age, commonness of the health problem, multifactorial etiology, functional or cognitive impairment, worsened outcome, and increased morbidity and mortality. We described the impact of diabetes on Geriatric Giants including cognitive dysfunction, depression, malnutrition, incontinence, falls and fractures, chronic pain, and the loss of senses. The association of diabetes with Geriatric Giants reveals as a vicious circle with the background of neurovascular complications. However, diabetes influence on the incidence of cancer in elderly was also discussed, since neoplastic diseases associate with Geriatric Giants, for example, chronic pain and depression. The knowledge about these aspects of functional decline in geriatric population is crucial to improve patient care.