Dementia vs. Delirium

["Gary J. Cornwell" <gcornwel@xxxxxxxxx>]

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(From: The Lone Ranger minus Tonto, aka Janet)

I realize this doesn't sound like much to choose from, but I thought
it was interesting, but then again I'm supposed to be demented, er,
well, delirious, er WHATEVER anyway the slovenly dressed seemed to fit.

But I did think it was relevant to the not-funny-at-all subject of
dementia.

Thanks,
Janet

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         Table 118-3. COMPARISON OF DELIRIUM AND DEMENTIA
__________________________________________________________________________
____Manifestation___________Delirium_________________Dementia______________

Onset                |   Acute or subacute      |  Insidious
                     |                          |
Duration             |   Days to weeks          |  Permanent
                     |                          |
Associated conditions|   Drugs, withdrawal, or  |  No systemic factors
                     |     systemic illness     |    necessary
                     |     always present       |
                     |                          |
Nocturnal worsening  |   Almost always          |  Often
                     |                          |
Attention            |   Poorly maintained      |  Relatively unaffected
                     |                          |
Appearance           |   Slovenly               |  Relatively unaffected
                     |                          |
Arousal level        | Fluctuates from lethargy |   Normal
                     |     to agitation         |
                     |                          |
Orientation          |   Variably impaired,     |  Impaired if disease socially
                     |   almost always for time |  limiting
                     |                          |
Thought processes    |   Disorganized;          |   Impoverished, delusions
                     |hallucinations & illusions|    common
                     |   common                 |
                     |                          |
Language             |   Dysathric, slow, often |  Nominal amnesia, less often
                     |   poorly coherent and    |    aphasia
                     |   inappropriate          |
                     |                          |
Memory               |  Confused                |  Recent memory lost; remote
                     |                          |    memory impaired
                     |                          |
Sleep-wake rhythms   |  Loss of circadian       |  Nocturnal sleep commonly
                     | regularity; napping often|   inerrupted
                     |  excessive               |
                     |                          |
_____________________|__________________________|___________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

From:  Merck Manual Sixteenth Edition, Merck Research Laboratories,
Merck Co.,Inc Copyright 1992, pg 1406


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