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Delirium: pathophysiology, recognition, prevention and treatment

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Pages 343-355 | Published online: 10 Jan 2014

References

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  • •Contains the most up-to-date definition of delirium as well as other clinical disorders that must be considered when entertaining a diagnosis of delirium.
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  • •Important because it supports the notion that, even though this form of delirium may have irreversible cause(s), symptomatic treatment is possible and should be aggressively pursued.
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  • ••Excellent paper that makes compellingarguments for key factors involved in the pathophysiology of the disorder.
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  • ••Excellent paper that make compellingarguments for key factors involved in the pathophysiology of the disorder.
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  • •Explores important ways to treat a form of delirium that may be due to a decrease in cholinergic neuron activity (as is seen in Alzheimer's disease) with a drug that retards the degradation of acetylcholine.
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  • •Explores important ways to treat a form of delirium that may be due to a decrease in cholinergic neuron activity (as is seen in Alzheimer's disease) with a drug that retards the degradation of acetylcholine.
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  • ••Excellent report strongly supports thenotion that primary prevention of delirium is not only possible, it is a far superior option to containment of the disorder once it has developed.
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