OUTCOME OF DELIRIUM: PART 2. Clinical Features of Reversible Cognitive Dysfunction — Are They the Same as Accepted Definitions of Delirium?
- 1 June 1997
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
- Vol. 12 (6) , 614-618
- https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1099-1166(199706)12:6<614::aid-gps1553>3.0.co;2-x
Abstract
Objective. To describe the clinical features of reversible cognitive dysfunction. Design. Prospective cohort study. Setting. Acute geriatric inpatient units. Patients. A random sample of consecutive acute admissions of patients over the age of 65 (N=80). Main measurements. Serial assessments of mental state and cognitive function and observational data. Outcome measure. Patients with more than five points or 20% improvement in Mini Mental State Examination following the most severely impaired assessment operationally designated ‘reversible cognitive dysfunction’. The clinical features of those twith RCD are compared to those with non‐reversible cognitive dysfunction. Main results. Delusions, hallucinations, aggression, excitement, irritability and other ‘active’ symptoms were not commoner in RCD than in non‐reversible cognitive dysfunction (non‐RCD). By contrast, ‘quiet’ signs, such as plucking at bedclothes, poor attention, incoherent speech, abnormal associations, slow, vague thought and fluctuating mental state were more marked in RCD than in non‐RCD. Conclusions. Reversible cognitive dysfunction is a quiet and unobtrusive disorder. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Keywords
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