Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea
ABSTRACT
Delirium is a common acute organ dysfunction occurs in central nervous system and characterized by acute fluctuating global mental dysfunction. Delirium can be appeared by various underlying disease and conditions that affect brain metabolism. Delirium has apparent negative impact on morbidity and mortality of the patent’s underlying disease, and it is especially profound in elderly and critical care populations. But, since symptoms of delirium can be calm and fluctuating, nurses and physicians consistently under diagnose delirium in clinical practice. And, in intensive-care unit patients, especially in the neurocritical care population, severe neurological complications could be masked by delirium. Therefore, precise diagnosis and management for the delirium is essential. It is well known to the prevention, the early detection, and treatment of delirium make better prognosis. Therefore early optimal intervention for the delirium is the most important in the patient who has risks. There are a lot of conditions that can predispose or precipitate the delirium. According to many previous studies, it is concluded that patient who has more risk factors for delirium has more likely to have delirium and would have more severe and prolonged delirium. Medical staff’s well understanding and continuous awareness about delirium would be most effective diagnostic strategy of the delirium and because delirium developed by interactions among the multiple factors, organized multifactorial approach to the prevention and management of the delirium is highly required.
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