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Alzheimer disease (AD) is a prominent and increasing public health problem that has a great impact on patients, families, and the healthcare system. By 2050, 14 million older people in the U.S. are expected to have dementia. Studies examining outcomes in patients with AD with superimposed delirium have demonstrated increased rates of rehospitalization and admission to long-term care and higher mortality. Now, researchers have examined how hospitalization and delirium each contribute to the risks for institutionalization, cognitive deterioration, and death in patients with AD.
Among almost 800 people with AD, about half were hospitalized within 18 months of a clinical visit. Of those who were hospitalized, about half developed delirium. After…