title: Symptom profile of delirium in children and adolescent--does it differ from adults and elderly?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to evaluate the phenomenology, etiology and outcome of delirium in children and adolescents (8-18 years of age) seen in a consultation-liaison psychiatric service in India. Additionally, an attempt was made to compare the phenomenology with adult and elderly patients with delirium.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty children and adolescents (age 8-18 years) diagnosed with delirium by the consultation-liaison psychiatry team were rated on the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 (DRS-R-98) and compared with DRS-R-98 data on 120 adults and 109 elderly patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The commonly observed symptoms in children and adolescents with delirium were disturbance in attention, orientation, sleep-wake cycle disturbances, fluctuation of symptoms, disturbance of short-term memory and motor agitation. The least commonly seen symptoms included delusions and motor retardation. Compared to adults, children and adolescents had lower frequency of long-term memory and visuospatial disturbances. Compared to the elderly, children and adolescents had higher frequency of lability of affect. For severity of symptoms, compared to adults, the children and adolescents had lower severity of sleep-wake disturbances, abnormality of thought, motor agitation, orientation, attention, short-term memory, long-term memory and visuospatial abilities. When compared to elderly patients, children and adolescents had higher severity of lability of affect and lower severity of language disturbances, short-term memory and visuospatial abilities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In general, phenomenology, of delirium in children and adolescents (age 8-18 years) is similar to that seen in adults and elderly patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160012, India. drsandeepg2002@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Sandeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grover
authors.forename: Natasha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kate
authors.forename: Savita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Malhotra
authors.forename: Subho
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chakrabarti
authors.forename: Surendra Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Mattoo
authors.forename: Ajit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Avasthi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003221:Confusion / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D003693:Delirium / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D057567:Memory, Long-Term; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D010469:Perceptual Distortion; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D020178:Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology