Approach to delirium in geriatric patients in internal medicine clinics

Abstract

Delirium is a life-threatening disease that causes cognitive and attentive disturbance. Contrary to the general belief in internal medicine and surgery clinics, delirium is common among elderly patients, but as its main causes are organic factors, the patients are often undiagnosed or the diagnosis is delayed. In order to prevent problems regarding diagnosis, the internal medicine specialists and the internal medicine department staff should be informed of the situation and raise their awareness of delirium, as early diagnosis increases the success rate of the prevention and treatment of the disease.

The author declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

The author received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.