Survival of hospitalized elderly patients with delirium - A prospective study

The authors tested the relationship between clinically diagnosed delirium d uring hospitalization and increased mortality after accounting for pre-hosp ital measures of global cognition, physical functioning, and medical comorb idity. Patients (N = 102), 53 of which were hospitalized during the course of a year, received the Mini-Mental State Exam, Physical Self-Maintenance S cale, Cumulative Illness Rating Scale, and 15-item Geriatric Depression Sca le. Mortality rates were determined at discharge and after 3 years. Patient s who developed delirium were determined at discharge and after 3 years. Pa tients who developed delirium did not differ on pre-hospitalization levels of depression, global cognitive performance, physical functioning, or medic al comorbidity. Three-year mortality in the hospitalized subjects was 75% f or delirium patients vs. 51% for control patients (risk ratio = 2.24). Deli rium occurring during hospitalization places elderly subjects at long-term of mortality. This effect is not accounted for by earlier measures of cogni tive, functional, or health status.