[Confusion (delirium) in elderly patients of a general hospital].

Objective. Confusion in elderly patients is an urgent problem due to its high frequency both in psychiatric hospitals and general clinics. Authors studied the frequency of confusion, the psychopathological structure of these conditions and risk factors for their development in old age in elderly patients of a multiprofile hospital. Material and methods. 187 elderly patients (over 65 years old) were examined using psychopathological method, computed tomography (CT and MRI). Epidemiological evaluation of the cohort was performed as well. Results and conclusion. The frequency of confusion was 2.8% of the total number of inpatients (n=6788). Several psychopathological variants of confusion were singled out: delirious confusion (37.9%), amentia syndrome 18.7%, confabulation confusion (11.8%) and undifferentiated exogenous-organic psychosis (31.6%). The following factors were shown to increase the risk of confusion: the age above 85 years old, previous diagnosis of dementia or encephalopathy, comorbid pneumonia or urological infections. Confusion was most frequent in therapeutic and neurological departments.