Difference Between Delirium And Dementia

Neurocognitive disorders begin with delirium, followed by the syndromes of Major and Mild Neurocognitive disorders and their etiological subtypes. These subtypes include Alzheimer’s disease, vascular, Lewy bodies, frontotemporal, Huntington’s disease, as well as neurocognitive disorders due to Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury, HIV infection, multiple etiologies, and/or another medical condition. Although cognitive deficits are present in many if not all psychological disorders, only disorders whose core features are cognitive are included in the neurocognitive disorders category in the DSM-5. They are the disorders in which impaired cognition has not been present since an individual’s birth and/or early life. As a result, they represent
Because delirium results in confusion, disruption in thinking and behavior, changes in perception, attention, mood and activity level, individuals living with dementia are highly susceptible to delirium (Wass, et al., 2008). However, delirium in many has a tendency to go unrecognized because it shares many of the same symptoms as dementia. In telling the difference, dementia features changes in memory and intellect that are slowly progressing and evident over months or years; whereas, delirium symptoms tend to be more abrupt in confusion and take on more sudden changes in a person’s dementia. Over the period of days or weeks, confusion of delirium fluctuates dramatically, unlike the subtle decline of Alzheimer’s disease. Inattention and disorganized conversations and thinking are also separating facets that differentiate delirium and dementia. If an individual has a pre-existing mental impairment, delirium causes it to worsen (Wass, et al.,
In response, many see these behavioral changes as conditions of advanced aging or dementia. If the UTI goes untreated for too long, the infection can spread to the bloodstream and become ultimately life-threatening. Furthermore, UTIs have the ability to speed up the progression of dementia, without necessarily triggering dementia or Alzheimer’s. According to the Alzheimer’s Society, UTIs can cause distressing behavior changes in individuals with Alzheimer’s: also known as delirium. These symptoms develop quickly and can be seen as agitation or restlessness, as well as hallucination or delusions (Alzheimer’s Society, 2015, alzheimers.org).
The relationship between a UTI and delirium is intricate. As the body fights to sustain a balanced equilibrium for all of its processes, bacteria takes advantage of any weakened part of the body. By feeding off the body’s nutrients, the bacteria multiply in bodily fluids. Because bodily fluids include minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, we call them mineral electrolytes. The instabilities of the mineral electrolytes will then reach the brain causing a malfunction. In turn, delirium is produced (Manepalli, et al.,