Folstein M, Folstein S: “Syndromes of Altered Mental State,” in Principles of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, 4th Ed, ed by WR Hazzard, JP Blass, WH Ettinger Jr, et al, p 1197, McGraw-Hill Inc, New York, 1994..
Levkoff S, Cleary P, Liptzin B, et al: Epidemiology of delirium: an overview of research issues and findings. .Int Psychogeriatr 3::149. ,1991. .
Inouye S: Delirium in hospitalized older patients. .Clin Geriatr Med 14::745. ,1998. .
Bucht G, Gustafson Y, Sandberg O: Epidemiology of delirium. .Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 10::315. ,1999. .
Pompei P, Foreman M, Rudberg MA, et al: Delirium in hospitalized older persons: outcomes and predictors. .J Am Geriatr Soc 42::809. ,1994. .
Levkoff S, Evans DA, Liptzin B, et al: Delirium: the occurrence and persistence of symptoms among elderly hospitalized patients. .Arch Intern Med 152::334. ,1992. .
Lipowski Z: Delirium in the elderly patient. .N Engl J Med 320::578. ,1989. .
American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Ed, p 123, American Psychiatric Association, Washington, DC, 1994..
Lipowski Z: “Delirium (Acute Confusional States),” in Principles of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, ed by WR Hazzard, JP Blass, WH Ettinger Jr, et al, p 1021, McGraw-Hill Inc, New York, 1994..
American Psychiatric Association: Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with delirium. .Am J Psychiatry 156::1. ,1999. .
Levkoff S, Liptzin B, Cleary P, et al: Review of research instruments and techniques used to detect delirium. .Int Psychogeriatr 3::253. ,1991. .
Change in mental status is a common symptom in the older, hospitalized patient. Often referred to as delirium, it may be the first indication of a serious medical condition. If delirium is not identified and treated promptly, it may lead to severe complications. The podiatric physician can prevent many cases of delirium by maintaining a high level of suspicion, performing a thorough clinical assessment, and identifying older patients at risk in the hospital setting. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 94(2): 118-125, 2004)