Delirium Meaning or Definition
Delirium is a condition of decreased consciousness that is acute and fluctuating. Sufferers experience severe confusion and reduced awareness of the surrounding environment. This mental condition can worsen or occur suddenly over one to two days.
People who experience this condition can feel confused, or even more confused than usual. If the sufferer of this problem does not get immediate treatment, the people around him can feel distressed, especially when the cause is unknown.
Symptoms of Delirium
Symptoms of delirium are often non-specific. Sufferers will show symptoms of changes in mental state within a few hours to a few days. Some of these symptoms include:
- Decreased awareness of the surrounding environment, such as being easily distracted by unimportant things, difficulty focusing on a topic of conversation, and frequent daydreaming.
- Poor thinking skills (cognitive impairment), such as poor memory, especially short-term memory, disorientation, difficulty speaking or remembering words, rambling speech, and difficulty understanding speech, reading, and writing.
- Emotional disturbances, such as anxiety, fear or paranoia, depression, irritability, apathy, sudden mood swings, and personality changes.
- There are changes in behavior, such as restlessness and becoming more aggressive, liking to hallucinate, becoming withdrawn or quiet, slow movements, and disturbed sleep habits.
Delirium is divided into several types depending on the symptoms shown by the sufferer, namely:
- Hyperactive delirium. Sufferers appear restless, often experience mood swings, or hallucinate.
- Hypoactive delirium. The sufferer appears inactive or has reduced motor activity, is lethargic, sleepy, or appears confused.
- Mixed delirium. Sufferers often show a change in symptoms from hyperactive delirium to hypoactive delirium or vice versa.
Risk Factors for Delirium
It is important to note that any condition that requires intensive care or after surgery can increase the risk of developing delirium. In fact, this problem is more common in older adults.
Well, here are some risk factors that trigger delirium:
- Have a brain disorder, such as dementia, stroke, or Parkinson’s disease.
- Elderly or over 65 years of age.
- Have a history of previous delirium.
- Having vision or hearing problems.
- Suffering from a combination of several diseases.
Causes of Delirium
Delirium occurs when the sending and receiving of signals in the brain is disrupted. This disorder is most likely caused by a combination of factors that can make the brain susceptible to this problem and triggers that cause damage to brain activity.
Delirium may also have a single cause or even more, such as a combination of certain medical conditions. Sometimes, there is even an identifiable cause.
Some causes of delirium include:
- Consumption of certain medications or drug poisoning, such as pain relievers, sleeping pills, anti-allergies (antihistamines), asthma medications, corticosteroids, medications for seizures, Parkinson’s disease medications, and medications for mood disorders.
- Alcohol addiction and alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
- Poisoning, for example cyanide or carbon monoxide.
- Surgery or other medical procedures involving anesthesia.
- Chronic or serious illness, such as kidney failure.
- Malnutrition.
- Dehydration.
- Sleep disturbance or emotional disturbance.
- Electrolyte disturbances, such as hyponatremia.
- Fever due to acute infection, especially in children.
- Infection of an organ that spreads throughout the body.
- Low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia).
- Cerebrovascular disease, such as stroke.
- Change of environment or moving room.
Diagnosis of Delirium
The doctor will diagnose the cause of delirium by conducting a medical interview with the sufferer’s family who understands the course of the symptoms experienced by the sufferer, conducting a physical and neurological examination, and examining the mental condition. The doctor may also perform supporting examinations, such as:
- Urine or blood tests to assess liver function, thyroid alcohol levels, exposure to drugs, or alcohol.
- CT scan, MRI, or electroencephalogram (EEG) to assess the condition of the brain.
- Chest X-ray to check for infection in the lungs.
- Cerebrospinal fluid analysis, to determine the presence of brain infection.
Delirium Treatment
Delirium is treated first by addressing the cause. For example, someone who has low oxygen or sugar levels needs to be addressed so that delirium does not occur. If the problem is caused by an infection, antibiotics will be given. The doctor will make sure all the things that are causing it are addressed properly.
Delirium usually improves if the cause is found and the right treatment is given. In addition, a supportive environment is also needed so that sufferers can recover faster. Various steps that can be taken by those closest to this problem so that it can be cured, including:
- Keeping the patient from having an accident during treatment due to decreased consciousness.
- Prevent complications that may arise later, such as problems with defecation, urination, or immobilization.
- Speak calmly with clear sentences in every conversation.
- Support by showing familiar objects from home, such as photos.
- Ensure all tools are clean and functioning properly.
- Helps to develop a good sleep routine.
- Supporting people with delirium to stay active.
Delirium Prevention
The most successful approach to preventing delirium is to address the various risk factors that can trigger it. One of them is the hospital environment if the sufferer must be hospitalized. There are several ways that can be applied to prevent delirium from occurring, namely:
- Pay attention to a person’s health condition, especially the elderly and children.
- Avoid consuming alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs.
- Regularly check with your doctor if you have a history of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, or kidney failure.
- Consume foods with balanced nutrition and meet your body’s fluid needs.
- Have a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly and getting enough rest.
- Treat infections by seeking medical help immediately.