Delirium can be caused by which of the following conditions?

Delirium can be caused by which of the following conditions?

• A. Dementia progression
• B. Normal aging
• C. Anxiety
• D. Infection

Answer: (D)

Delirium is an acute, fluctuating disturbance of attention and awareness that is caused by a medical problem or a new factor such as a medication, dehydration, or an infectious process. In older adults, infections are a common trigger because they can cause fever, metabolic changes, and fluid/electrolyte imbalances that disrupt brain function, leading to sudden confusion and inattention. Normal aging is not a cause of delirium; cognitive changes that come with aging are typically gradual and stable, not the abrupt, fluctuating impairment seen in delirium. Dementia progression describes a chronic decline in memory and thinking over time, not an acute, reversible disturbance. Anxiety can cause distress and confusion symptoms, but delirium requires an identifiable medical precipitant and the hallmark features of fluctuating attention and consciousness. Thus, infection stands out as a typical precipitating factor for delirium in the scenario described.

Delirium is an acute, fluctuating disturbance of attention and awareness that is caused by a medical problem or a new factor such as a medication, dehydration, or an infectious process. In older adults, infections are a common trigger because they can cause fever, metabolic changes, and fluid/electrolyte imbalances that disrupt brain function, leading to sudden confusion and inattention.

Normal aging is not a cause of delirium; cognitive changes that come with aging are typically gradual and stable, not the abrupt, fluctuating impairment seen in delirium. Dementia progression describes a chronic decline in memory and thinking over time, not an acute, reversible disturbance. Anxiety can cause distress and confusion symptoms, but delirium requires an identifiable medical precipitant and the hallmark features of fluctuating attention and consciousness.

Thus, infection stands out as a typical precipitating factor for delirium in the scenario described.