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What are the risk factors for delirium in the first week after a stroke? To find out, investigators prospectively studied 527 consecutive patients (mean age, 72; range, 29–96) who were admitted to a stroke unit at one of two hospitals. Delirium was diagnosed using standardized instruments: the Confusion Assessment Method and the Delirium Rating Scale.
Nearly 12% of this diverse group of patients experienced delirium in the first week after stroke. The major risk factors for delirium were preexisting cognitive impairment, brain atrophy, right-hemisphere location of stroke, anterior-circulation large-vessel stroke, worse deficits on neurological examination, and poststroke infection. Duration of hospital stay, mortality, and functional outcome…