Delirium and the DST in the aged

Abstract

Delirium represents a global disorder of cognition in man. Imcomplete clinical pictures of delirium are common, especially in elderly patients, and differentiation of delirium from transient cognitive disorders associated with affective psychosis is important. In this differentiation, the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) may be helpful. Twenty-five consecutive delirious patients admitted to the psychogeriatric ward of Moisio Mental Hospital between May and September 1985 are discussed. The mean age of the group was 75.4 years and all met the DSM-III criteria for delirium. An oral test of 1 mg dexamethasone was carried out in the delirious phase during the first week after admission. Six patients (27%) were non-suppressors. There were no statistically significant differences between the different subgroups of delirium in the DST-suppressor status, age or Mini Mental State score during the DST-sampling. The dexamethasone suppression test is thus not always affected by serious physical illnesses and may ...