Lipowski Z J
Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Psychiatr Clin North Am. 1992 Jun;15(2):335-46.
Delirium is a common syndrome in hospitalized medical and surgical patients and in those seen in emergency departments. It is particularly common in the demented elderly patients. To prevent it, for example by avoiding polypharmacy in the elderly, is important. It is most important to diagnose delirium early and to search for its cause without delay as this may be life-saving in some patients and may help avoid injury in others. This syndrome, long neglected by investigators, calls for vigorous research to establish its epidemiology, pathogenesis, and long-term outcome.
谵妄是内科和外科住院患者以及急诊科患者中常见的综合征。在老年痴呆患者中尤为常见。例如，通过避免老年人使用多种药物来预防谵妄很重要。尽早诊断谵妄并及时寻找其病因最为重要，因为这在某些患者中可能挽救生命，在其他患者中可能有助于避免受伤。这种长期被研究人员忽视的综合征需要大力开展研究以确定其流行病学、发病机制和长期预后。
