DELIRIUM: NARRATIVE REVIEW

ABSTRACT

Delirium is a neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by acute onset of de?cits in attention and in multiple aspects of cognition. The prevalence of delirium varies considerably by patient group and setting, tending to be more common in hospitalized older adults or the critically ill. Three phenotypes of delirium are recognized depending on psychomotor activity (hyperactive, hypoactive, mixed). Its diagnosis is based on the criteria established in the DSM V, however we have diagnostic tools used in clinical practice such as 4A, CAM and ICDSC. The pharmacological management of delirium is still a matter of debate, treatments with antipsychotic drugs have been shown to reduce motor activity, but they do not seem to affect the dura