title: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: a cause of acute delirium.
abstract: Delirium is a transient global disorder of cognition related to a variety of structural or functional neural disorders. Descriptions and characterizations of delirium associated with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) are rare. We describe a 52-year-old man with severe OSAS associated with sudden onset of delirium and with a fluctuating nighttime course, prolonged for several days. The delirium disappeared after treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). The patient remained free of symptoms under CPAP during a follow-up of 8 years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine and Prevention, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rocchi
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Montagna
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Silani
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parati
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D045422:Continuous Positive Airway Pressure / Q000379:methods; D003693:Delirium / Q000209:etiology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy
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