NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New research suggests that people with Alzheimer's disease who experience one or more episodes of delirium have a more rapid decline in their mental capacities.
Delirium is a state of mental confusion in which a person's speech becomes disordered and nonsensical and they experience hallucinations. "Delirium is a potentially preventable condition," Dr. Tamara G. Fong said in a statement. "Hopefully, future studies can determine whether preventing delirium may improve or delay memory problems in Alzheimer's disease patients."
Fong, from Harvard Medical School, Boston, and her team assessed changes in cognitive performance over time in 72 patients with Alzheimer's disease who developed delirium over the course of their illness and 336 patients who did not develop delirium.
As reported in the medical journal Neurology, the trajectory of cognitive decline accelerated significantly after an episode of delirium.
Prior to a delirium episode, the average cognitive performance decline based on a standard test was 2.5 points per year. After a delirium episode, the rate of decline became 4.9 points per year.
In addition to clinical trails targeting delirium, the researchers conclude, there is a need for research to better understand how delirium accelerates cognitive decline is people with Alzheimer's disease.
SOURCE: Neurology, May 5, 2009.
