Validating the diagnosis of delirium and evaluating its association with deterioration over a one-year period

The authors probed the associations between clinical diagnoses and independ ent research measures of cognitive, behavioral, and electroencephalographic (EEG) changes in hospitalized older patients and investigated the contribu tion of medical illness to deterioration. Patients (N = 96; 47 of whom were hospitalized during the course of 1 year; 12 diagnosed with delirium) rece ived tests of cognitive and physical functioning and the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale, specific neuropsychological tests, and a two-channel EEG. De lirium uns associated with independent measures of cognitive decline and EE G slowing. Hospitalization was associated with deterioration in functional status during the year: whether or not patients showed delirium. Results su ggest that medical illness leading to hospitalization can contribute signif icantly to deterioration in self-care. nln, when it is associated with deli rium, to deterioration in cognitive performance and cerebral activity over a period of 1 year.