Could Delirium be a strong factor for dementia?

The results revealed that patients with delirium had a 39% higher risk of death and three times the risk of being diagnosed with dementia than patients without delirium. The relationship between delirium and dementia was stronger in men than women and each additional episode of delirium was associated with a 20% increased risk of developing dementia (a dose-response relationship).

The researchers discovered that among hospital patients with at least one episode of delirium, the risk of receiving a new dementia diagnosis was three times higher than for patients without delirium and each additional episode of delirium increased that risk by 20%.

“While our results are consistent with the hypothesis that delirium plays a causative part in dementia, they are not conclusive owing to the fundamental limitations of observational studies in determining causality. Nevertheless, the results of this study provide valuable insights because prospective randomised controlled trials are unlikely to be conducted,” concluded the researchers.

Reference: Emily H Gordon, senior lecturer, David D Ward, research fellow, Hao Xiong, research fellow, Shlomo Berkovsky, professor of medical artificial intelligence, Ruth E Hubbard, professor of geriatric medicine; Delirium and incident dementia in hospital patients in New South Wales, Australia: retrospective cohort study; Journal: The BMJ; DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-077634