Simple and Objective Evaluation Items for the Prognosis and Mortality of Delirium in Real-World Clinical Practice: A Preliminary Retrospective Study.

Objective: Identifying factors associated with poor outcomes in patients with delirium is important for predicting prognosis. This retrospective study developed an easy and objective cognitive function measurement scale that can predict the prognosis and mortality related to delirium. Methods: Fifty-five patients aged ≥65 years and diagnosed with delirium were included. Objective data regarding attention and orientation related to time and place were extracted from their medical records during the first consultation, and in total, six points were evaluated. The patients were categorized into high and low cognitive function (LCF) groups. The severity at the first visit and 1-week post-treatment was evaluated using the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity scale. Outcomes (survival or death) at 6 months from the initial visit were evaluated by reviewing medical records. Results: Although the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity score at the first visit was not significantly different between the two groups, 1 week after treatment, it was significantly lower in the high cognitive function (HCF) group than in the LCF group. Regarding the outcome (survival or death) after 6 months, the LCF group had significantly higher mortality than the HCF group. A multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed the same result (OR = 17.049, 95% CI = 2.415-120.373, p = 0.004). Conclusion: A simple cognitive assessment of attention and orientation may help predict unfavorable outcomes, including mortality, in patients with delirium.

Improvement of Somatic Delusions with Altered Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Following Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Patient with Schizoaffective Disorder.

BACKGROUND Somatic delusions are false and fixed beliefs about health and organ function, which are observed in various psychiatric disorders. Psychotropic drugs such as antipsychotics and antidepressants are effective for some patients, while the efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for pharmacotherapy-resistant cases has been reported. Previous reports suggest that somatic delusions in delusional disorder somatic type are associated with reduced regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), but it remains unclear whether this association is also observed in other psychiatric disorders. We report the case of a patient with schizoaffective disorder whose drug-resistant somatic delusions showed remarkable improvement accompanied by altered rCBF after successful ECT. CASE REPORT The patient was a Japanese man aged 52 years with a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. He was suffering from severe and persistent somatic delusions such as "There is a thick stick or bowl in my head" and "Something like a film stretches over my head and face", which were resistant to several antipsychotics and antidepressants. In our hospital, he received bitemporal ECT 8 times. His somatic delusions started to improve from the third administration, and they disappeared by the eighth administration. In parallel with this clinical improvement, reduction of rCBF in the bilateral parietal and occipital lobes observed before ECT disappeared. CONCLUSIONS The present study suggests that ECT is a useful choice for drug-resistant somatic delusions. Reduction of rCBF in the bilateral parietal and occipital lobes may be associated with manifestation of somatic delusions in schizoaffective disorder.