Delirium common amongst patients undergoing stem cell transplant

Researchers have found that many patients undergoing stem cell transplant suffer from delirium. 90 subjects were involved in the study and results showed that half of patients had delirium episodes which included psychotic problems, behavioral problems, cognitive impairment, mood disturbance and consciousness disturbance. Early symptoms such as hypoactive behavior, sleep-wake cycle disturbance and cognitive impairment began four days before the start of the delirium episode and lasted ten days on average. The presence and severity of delirium was also associated with emotional distress, fatigue and pain. These results show that the traditional symptoms (hallucination, delusion, disorientation and agitation) of delirium may lead to misdiagnosis of delirium. Delirium is a short term change in a patient's level of consciousness and cognition or perception caused by a medical condition. Diagnosis and treatment of delirium is important as delirium can increase the risk of falls, wound infections and aspiration pneumonia. It also increases the incidence of death during hospitalization of cancer patients and within five years of a check up.

Source: summary of medical news story as reported by Eurekalert

Related Disease Topics:

• Stem cell transplant
• Cancer
• Delirium
• Emotional distress (see Emotional symptoms)
• Fatigue
• Pain
• Fall
• Wound infection
• Aspiration pneumonia (type of Pneumonia)

Related Symptom Topics:

• Psychotic problems
• Behavioral problems
• Cognitive impairment
• Mood disturbance
• Consciousness disturbance
• Hypoactive behavior
• Sleep-wake cycle disturbance
• Cognitive impairment
• Hallucination
• Delusion
• Disorientation
• Agitation

Article Source Details

About: Delirium common amongst patients undergoing stem cell transplant

Date: 10 January 2005

Source: Eurekalert

URL: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-01/jws-upo010505.php

Related Medical Topics

This summary article refers to the following medical categories:

• Research
• Research and psychotic problems
• Research and behavioral problems
• Research and cognitive impairment
• Research and mood disturbance
• Research and consciousness disturbance
• Research and hypoactive behavior
• Research and sleep-wake cycle disturbance
• Research and cognitive impairment
• Research and hallucination
• Research and delusion
• Research and disorientation
• Research and agitation
• Research and stem cell transplant
• Research and cancer
• Research and delirium
• Research and emotional distress
• Research and fatigue
• Research and pain
• Research and fall
• Research and wound infection
• Research and aspiration pneumonia
• Diagnosis
• Diagnosis and psychotic problems
• Diagnosis and behavioral problems
• Diagnosis and cognitive impairment
• Diagnosis and mood disturbance
• Diagnosis and consciousness disturbance
• Diagnosis and hypoactive behavior
• Diagnosis and sleep-wake cycle disturbance
• Diagnosis and cognitive impairment
• Diagnosis and hallucination
• Diagnosis and delusion
• Diagnosis and disorientation
• Diagnosis and agitation
• Diagnosis and delirium
• Diagnosis and emotional distress
• Diagnosis and fatigue
• Diagnosis and pain
• Risk and fall
• Risk and wound infection
• Risk and aspiration pneumonia
• Undiagnosed
• Undiagnosed and psychotic problems
• Undiagnosed and behavioral problems
• Undiagnosed and cognitive impairment
• Undiagnosed and mood disturbance
• Undiagnosed and consciousness disturbance
• Undiagnosed and hypoactive behavior
• Undiagnosed and sleep-wake cycle disturbance
• Undiagnosed and cognitive impairment
• Undiagnosed and hallucination
• Undiagnosed and delusion
• Undiagnosed and disorientation
• Undiagnosed and agitation
• Undiagnosed and delirium
• Undiagnosed and emotional distress
• Undiagnosed and fatigue
• Undiagnosed and pain
• Death from cancer
• Death from delirium

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