Delirium, long-term conditions, and incident dementia in older adults admitted to hospital for emergency care in Lothian, Scotland: a population-based cohort study - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #geriatric care
- #dementia
- #delirium
- Delirium on admission in older adults (≥65 years) is associated with a higher risk of incident dementia, with the strongest relative risk observed in those without multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs).
- The study used a population-based cohort from Lothian, Scotland, and assessed delirium using the 4AT tool, defining it as a score ≥4.
- Among 23,558 patients without pre-existing dementia, 17.6% had delirium on admission; mean age was 78.9 years, and 54.4% were female.
- Incident dementia risk decreased as the number of long-term conditions increased, suggesting a particularly high relative risk for delirium in individuals with fewer LTCs.
- Delirium was also linked to increased mortality, especially early mortality within 90 days in those without MLTCs (aHR 4.23).
- Findings support routine delirium assessment for all older adults upon hospital admission and highlight the need for further research into neurodegenerative mechanisms in delirium.