What is the difference between delirium and dementia?
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What is the difference between delirium and dementia?

Stacey Louise Finlay Unit sister, Domnall Intermediate Care Centre, Belfast, Northern Ireland, British Geriatrics Society, London, England

Delirium and dementia are two distinct disorders, but they have overlapping symptoms which can lead to difficulty in differentiation

Delirium is a disorder that causes simultaneous disturbance of attention, orientation, awareness and global neurocognitive impairment with fluctuating symptoms that develop acutely (World Health Organization (WHO) 2023a). Delirium can be (Evans 2023):

» Hyperactive, presenting with agitation and restlessness.

» Hypoactive, presenting with sluggishness and inactivity.

» Mixed, presenting with both hyper and hypoactive symptoms.

Nursing Older People. 35, 3, 22-23. doi: 10.7748/nop.35.3.22.s9

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