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Differential diagnosis of agitation and confusion
Differential diagnosis of agitation and confusion</font> | ||||
Delirium (acute confusional state)</font> | Emotional reactions</font> | Psychosis | Dementia | |
Prevalence | Common | Common | Rare as a new presentation in an acute hospital setting | Extremely rare |
Onset | Acute or subacute | Acute or acute-onchronic | Insidious | |
Course | Fluctuating, usually resolves over days to weeks | Progressive | ||
Conscious level | Often impaired, can fluctuate rapidly | Intact | Clear until later stages | |
Cognitive defects | Poor short-term memory, poor attention span | Absent | Absent | Poor short-term memory, attention less affected until severe |
Hallucinations | Common, especially visual | None | Auditory; third person | Often absent |
Delusions | Fleeting, nonsystematized | None | Fixed and systematized | Often absent |
Psychomotor activity | Increased, reduced or unpredictable | Typically increased | Can be normal |
Source: Forsyth R, Newton R, eds. Paediatric Neurology (Oxford Specialist Handbooks in Paediatrics). 3 ed. ed. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press; 2017. https://oxfordmedicine.com/view/10.1093/med/9780198784449.001.0001/med-9780198784449.
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