One-year mortality of elderly inpatients with delirium, dementia, or depression seen by a consultation-liaison service.
BACKGROUND
Delirium, dementia and depression are the most prevalent mental disorders in elderly patients, and are associated with higher mortality.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to assess 1-year mortality among elderly patients with delirium, dementia, or depression seen by a psychiatry consultation-liaison service in a general hospital.


METHODS
We consecutively enrolled inpatients 65 years of age and older who were referred for psychiatric consultation (n = 614) from 2002 to 2006: 172 were diagnosed with delirium, 92 with dementia, and 165 with depression. The 1-year mortality rates for the three groups of patients were compared by log-rank test. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify any possible factors associated with mortality.


RESULTS
One-year mortality was significantly higher in the delirium group than in the depression group (p = 0.048), but not significantly different between the delirium and dementia groups (p = 0.206), or dementia and depression groups (p = 0.676). Male patients had a higher mortality rate than female patients in the depression group (p = 0.003), but there was no gender difference in the delirium and dementia groups. Furthermore, the 1-year mortality of all patients was significantly associated with older age (p < 0.001) and length of hospital stay (p < 0.001), but not with gender difference and multiple physical comorbidities.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that elderly inpatients with delirium seen by a psychiatric consultation service have significantly higher mortality than elderly inpatients with depression, and that mortality is significantly associated with older age and length of hospital stay.
Dept. of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan,Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taiwan.
Meng-Chang
MC
Tsai
Hsu-Huei
HH
Weng
Shih-Yong
SY
Chou
Ching-Shu
CS
Tsai
Tai-Hsin
TH
Hung
Jian-An
JA
Su
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003693:Delirium / Q000401:mortality*; D003704:Dementia / Q000401:mortality*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors