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Medical News Today is a web-based outlet for medical information and news, targeted at both the general public and physicians. All posted content is available online (>250,000 articles as of January 2014), and the earliest available article dates from May 2003. The website was founded in 2003 by Alastair Hazell and Christian Nordqvist. [1]
In Psychology, confusion is the quality or emotional state of being bewildered or unclear. The term "acute mental confusion" [ 1 ] is often used interchangeably with delirium [ 2 ] in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems and the Medical Subject Headings publications to describe the pathology .
Delirium (formerly acute confusional state, an ambiguous term that is now discouraged) [1] is a specific state of acute confusion attributable to the direct physiological consequence of a medical condition, effects of a psychoactive substance, or multiple causes, which usually develops over the course of hours to days.
A common symptom of PTA is confusion. The most prominent symptom of post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) is a loss of memory of the present time. [10] As a result, patients are often unaware of their condition and may behave as if they are going about their regular lives.
Hypoglycemia or hypercapnia initially cause mild agitation and confusion, but progress to obtundation, stupor, and finally, complete unconsciousness. [28] In contrast, coma resulting from a severe traumatic brain injury or subarachnoid hemorrhage can be instantaneous. The mode of onset may therefore be indicative of the underlying cause. [1]
In the UK, the Royal College of Physicians developed the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) in 2012 to replace local or regional scores. [16] [17] [18] The NEWS score is the largest national EWS effort to date and has been adopted by some international healthcare services. [1] A second version of the score was introduced in 2017.
The Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) is a diagnostic tool developed to allow physicians and nurses to identify delirium in the healthcare setting. [1] It was designed to be brief (less than 5 minutes to perform) and based on criteria from the third edition-revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III-R) .
Prolonged unconsciousness is understood to be a sign of a medical emergency. [3] A deficit in the level of consciousness suggests that both of the cerebral hemispheres or the reticular activating system have been injured. [4] A decreased level of consciousness correlates to increased morbidity (sickness) and mortality (death). [5]