title: [Parameters of ante-mortem delirium].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the parameters of ante-mortem delirium of the patients in a closed psychiatric institution and to compare them with the ante-mortem psychopathology of the medical patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  There were 139 medical records of the patients analyzed, who died during the period of 1997-2003 at the in-patient psychiatric institution. The diagnoses were recorded according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) criteria. Patients' data included age, gender, previous psychiatric disorders, current somatic and psychiatric morbidity, and comorbidity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of delirium was 83.7%. The delirium group included more elder, male persons who were more likely to have dementia and less inclined to depression. Surprisingly the incidence of delirium among non-dementia men was quite high--76.9%, as compared to non-dementia women--23.1% (P = 0.008). The duration of delirium differed from 1 to 1335 days. Longer delirium was observed among elder than 75 years (87.7, SD 183.9 vs 52.6, SD 121.4 days; P = 0.019) and dementia (8.6, SD 173.6 vs 13.5, SD 11.6 days; P < 0.001) patients, but did not differ in gender groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ante-mortem delirium occurred more commonly in more elder and demented patients The duration of ante-mortem delirium was shorter in younger and non-dementia patients. Patients of the psychiatric institution tend to have longer deliriums than medical patients. The patients with depression and the history of alcohol abuse were not likely to get ante-mortem delirium. Before death in many persons hyperactive and mixed delirium transformed into hypoactive.
authors.forename: Ausra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deksnyte
authors.forename: Aranauskas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramūnas
authors.forename: Vytautas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kasiulevicius
authors.forename: Virginijus
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sapoka
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Palinauskaite
authors.forename: Rima
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gaidamowicz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D015984:Causality; D015897:Comorbidity; D003693:Delirium / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007297:Inpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008097:Lithuania; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult