Delirium in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia: a prospective, cross-sectional, cohort study.

Delirium is an acute confusional state characterized by altered level of consciousness and attention. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), can manifest itself with this neuropsychiatric disorder. The endpoints of our study were: the frequency of delirium in subjects with COVID-19 pneumonia; the risk factors that predispose to this condition; and the impact of delirium on mortality. Subjects were consecutively enrolled in a Geriatric Unit from January 5th to March 5th, 2021. Inclusion criteria were: diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, a radiologically documented pneumonia, and the ability of providing informed consent. Exclusion criteria were: absence of radiological evidence of pneumonia, sepsis, and the need of intensive care unit treatment. All subjects were evaluated by means of Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) and Confusion Assessment Method-Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) at least twice per day. In the study cohort (n = 71), twenty patients (28.2%) had delirium. Delirium was present on admission in 11.3%, and occurred during hospitalization in 19.0%. Compared to patients without delirium, patients who developed this neuropsychiatric disorder had a higher mortality rate (35% vs 5.9%) and an increased average hospital length of stay (21 days vs 17 days). In the multivariate analysis delirium was associated with frailty (OR = 2.81; CI = 1.4-5.8) and helmet ventilation (OR = 141.05; CI = 4.3-4663.9). Delirium was an independent predictor of mortality. Nearly a third of subjects (28.2%) had delirium during hospitalization for COVID-19. This finding supports the notion that delirium is a common complication of SARS-CoV2 infection. Since delirium is associated with longer hospital stay, and it is an independent marker of increased mortality, clinicians should assess and prevent it.

Relationship between low levels of anabolic hormones and 6-year mortality in older men: the aging in the Chianti Area (InCHIANTI) study.

BACKGROUND: Aging in men is characterized by a progressive decline in levels of anabolic hormones, such as testosterone, insulinlike growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S). We hypothesized that in older men a parallel age-associated decline in bioavailable testosterone, IGF-1, and DHEA-S secretion is associated with higher mortality independent of potential confounders. METHODS: Testosterone, IGF-1, DHEA-S, and demographic features were evaluated in a representative sample of 410 men 65 years and older enrolled in the Aging in the Chianti Area (InCHIANTI) study. A total of 126 men died during the 6-year follow-up. Thresholds for lowest-quartile definitions were 70 ng/dL (to convert to nanomoles per liter, multiply by 0.0347) for bioavailable testosterone, 63.9 ng/mL (to convert to nanomoles per liter, multiply by 0.131) for total IGF-1, and 50 microg/dL (to convert to micromoles per liter, multiply by 0.027) for DHEA-S. Men were divided into 4 groups: no hormone in the lowest quartile (reference) and 1, 2, and 3 hormones in the lowest quartiles. Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for confounders were used in the analysis. RESULTS: Compared with men with levels of all 3 hormones above the lowest quartiles, having 1, 2, and 3 dysregulated hormones was associated with hazard ratios for mortality of 1.47 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88-2.44), 1.85 (95% CI, 1.04-3.30), and 2.29 (95% CI, 1.12-4.68), respectively (test for trend, P <.001). In the fully adjusted analysis, only men with 3 anabolic hormone deficiencies had a significant increase in mortality (hazard ratio, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.09-5.46 (test for trend, P <.001). CONCLUSIONS: Age-associated decline in anabolic hormone levels is a strong independent predictor of mortality in older men. Having multiple hormonal deficiencies rather than a deficiency in a single anabolic hormone is a robust biomarker of health status in older persons.