Common Etiologies of Delirium | |||
| Toxins | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Prescription medications: especially those with anticholinergic properties, narcotics, and benzodiazepines | |||
| Drugs of abuse: alcohol intoxication and alcohol withdrawal, opiates, ecstasy, LSD, GHB, PCP, ketamine, cocaine, “bath salts,” marijuana and its synthetic forms | |||
| Poisons: inhalants, carbon monoxide, ethylene glycol, pesticides | |||
| Metabolic Conditions | |||
| Electrolyte disturbances: hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, hyponatremia, hypernatremia, hypercalcemia, hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia | |||
| Hypothermia and hyperthermia | |||
| Pulmonary failure: hypoxemia and hypercarbia | |||
| Liver failure/hepatic encephalopathy | |||
| Renal failure/uremia | |||
| Cardiac failure | |||
| Vitamin deficiencies: B12, thiamine, folate, niacin | |||
| Dehydration and malnutrition | |||
| Anemia | |||
| Infections | |||
| Systemic infections: urinary tract infections, pneumonia, skin and soft tissue infections, sepsis | |||
| CNS infections: meningitis, encephalitis, brain abscess | |||
| Endocrine Conditions | |||
| Hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism | |||
| Hyperparathyroidism | |||
| Adrenal insufficiency | |||
| Cerebrovascular Disorders | |||
| Global hypoperfusion states | |||
| Hypertensive encephalopathy | |||
| Focal ischemic strokes and hemorrhages (rare): especially nondominant parietal and thalamic lesions | |||
| Autoimmune Disorders | |||
| CNS vasculitis | |||
| Cerebral lupus | |||
| Neurologic paraneoplastic and autoimmune encephalitis | |||
| Seizure-Related Disorders | |||
| Nonconvulsive status epilepticus | |||
| Intermittent seizures with prolonged postictal states | |||
| Neoplastic Disorders | |||
| Diffuse metastases to the brain | |||
| Gliomatosis cerebri | |||
| Carcinomatous meningitis | |||
| CNS lymphoma | |||
| Hospitalization | |||
| Terminal end-of-life delirium | |||