title: Short-term cognitive effects after recovery from a delirium in a hospitalized elderly sample.
abstract: The aim of this study was to examine early cognitive performance after a delirium in elderly general hospital patients. Patients were divided into a delirium (n = 47) and a control (n = 25) group. One week before discharge and after delirium had cleared in the first group, all patients completed a neuropsychological test battery (The Cambridge Cognitive Examination-Revised [CAMCOG-R]). Group differences in cognitive performance were analyzed adjusting for differences in baseline sociodemographic and clinical variables. Adjusting for group differences in baseline variables, the delirium group performed significantly worse than the control group on CAMCOG-R; its subdomains language, praxis, and executive functioning; and on Mini Mental State Examination derived from CAMCOG-R. The occurrence of delirium in hospital thus detrimentally affects early cognitive performance.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands; and Departments of †Medical Psychology and ‡Geriatrics, TweeSteden Hospital, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ruth E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Mark
authors.forename: Noortje
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Muselaers
authors.forename: Hetty
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Scholten
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van Boxtel
authors.forename: Trudy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Eerenberg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003693:Delirium / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors