[Delirium in the elderly]

Abstract

Delirium occurs in 20 - 50 % of hospitalized elderly patients. An age > 65 years is one of the factors predisposing to the development of delirium, which is a common syndrome in geriatric medicine. Two clinical guidelines on this condition were published in 2010: NICE clinical guideline 103, "Delirium: diagnosis, prevention, management" and the German guideline "S3-Leitlinie Analgesie, Sedierung und Delirmanagement in der Intensivmedizin". The article gives an overview of new aspects of delirium in the clinical context.