A retrospective chart review of terminal patients with cancer with agitation and their risk factors.
BACKGROUND
Agitated delirium is often observed in terminal patients with cancer. To clarify the risk factors for agitated delirium in terminal patients with cancer, we conducted a retrospective chart review of 126 patients with cancer who died at a university hospital in 2008.


METHODS
As a working definition, we define agitated delirium as a score of 2 or more in item 9 of the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale with diurnal variation.


RESULTS
The results were as follows: agitated delirium was observed in 49 (42%) of the 115 patients, and it occurred within the last week before death in 49% of the patients. Univariate analysis revealed older age, male gender, smoking history, lung cancer, diabetes, and high C-reactive protein (CRP) value as major risk factors, while dendritic analysis revealed lung cancer, high CRP value, diabetes, older age, and smoking history as key factors for predicting agitation.


CONCLUSIONS
It is necessary to consider risk factors in order to categorize terminal patients with cancer into high- and low-risk groups and undertake possible counter-measures.
Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Osaka University Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
Mie
M
Nagase
Yoshiaki
Y
Okamoto
Satoru
S
Tsuneto
Hitoshi
H
Tanimukai
Yoichi
Y
Matsuda
Nao
N
Okishiro
Yumiko
Y
Oono
Mamiko
M
Tsugane
Tatsuya
T
Takagi
Etsuko
E
Uejima
D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D015897:Comorbidity; D003693:Delirium / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology*; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D019452:Terminally Ill / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D002097:C-Reactive Protein