This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Confusion

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Confusion exists in two major syndromes.

The acute syndrome, referred to as delirium, broadly corresponds to a transient, reversible, and functional, episode of cognitive impairment with no permanent structural alteration in the CNS.

The chronic syndrome, dementia, corresponds to a fixed or progressive neuroanatomical abnormality.

Note that confusion, delirium and dementia are descriptive terms. Confusion describes some form of disorientation, delirium a more specific type of acute toxic confusional syndrome and dementia a patient who appears to chronically have lost some form of higher mental function. Also note that not all people who seem to acutely confused have delirium, and not all those who appear chronically confused are confused at all.


Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.