J Korean Acad Fam Med.  2002 Jan;23(1):112-121.

Risk factors of delirium in elderly inpatients

• Hwang SW
• Kang SW
• Kang YG
• Choi SG
• Lee J
• Kim MJ
• Lee YJ
• Bae CY

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This study was done to investigate the clinical risk factors of delirium in general hospital's elderly inpatients.
METHODS
A case-control study design was used. Forty cases and age -sex matched 120 contols were identified using hospital discharge data from June 1995 to May 2001. The controls were selected during the same period. The clinical records of each subject were reviewed using discharged disease code to select cases. Subsequent7, the data were recorded from clinical records.
RESULTS
The subjects admitted with delirium tended to have increased age (P=0.007), hypoxia(P=0.018), low hemoglobin(P =0.011),sleep disturbance (P=0.001), more ADL total dependence ( P=0.018), diagnoses with infections (P=0.006), diabetes (P=0.046), and hypertension (P=0.041). Above risk factors seemed to be clinically associated with delirium. CONSLUSION: These findings indicate that rapid infection control, maintenance of good sleep hygiene, well-controlled diabetes and hypertension, and correction of hypoxia may help to prevent delirium in general hospital's elderly inpatients.

Keyword

delirium; risk factors; elderly

MeSH Terms

Activities of Daily Living
Aged*
Anoxia
Case-Control Studies
Delirium*
Diagnosis
Humans
Hygiene
Hypertension
Infection Control
Inpatients*
Risk Factors*