A large-scale study in Australian hospitals sheds light on a crucial and often underestimated link: the relationship between delirium and dementia in older people. The research findings suggest that experiencing delirium may be a significant risk factor for the later development of dementia, providing new insight into how these two conditions interact and influence the cognitive health of older patients.
The study published in The BMJ investigated the link between delirium and dementia among elderly patients without dementia at the start of the observation period. The research showed that patients who experienced delirium had a significantly higher risk of developing dementia compared to those without delirium. This association was also observed after adjustment for confounders and was stronger among men.
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Delirious episodes increased the risk of dementia
Furthermore, each additional episode of delirium was found to increase the risk of dementia. The study findings suggest that delirium could be an important and potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia, emphasizing the importance of its prevention and management in the elderly population.
This retrospective cohort study conducted in New South Wales, Australia, aimed to determine the association between delirium and incident dementia in older adult patients without dementia at baseline. Using extensive hospital administrative data from July 2001 to March 2020, the study included 650,590 patients aged 65 and over. Patients were matched based on personal and clinical characteristics, resulting in 55,211 matched pairs.
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Delirium, associated with dementia – PHOTO: Freepik
The main outcomes assessed were death and incident dementia. Cox proportional hazard models and Fine-Gray hazard models were used to estimate associations for death and incident dementia, respectively, with adjustments for confounders. The study found that patients with delirium had a 39% higher risk of death and a three-fold higher risk of incident dementia compared to those without delirium. Each additional episode of delirium was associated with a 20% increased risk of dementia.
The association between delirium and incident dementia was stronger in men. Sensitivity analyzes were performed and the results remained robust, supporting the hypothesis that delirium is an independent risk factor for dementia in older adults without preexisting dementia. The findings emphasize the importance of delirium as a potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia in clinical practice.
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