Researchers reveal people with Parkinson’s more likely to experience delirium in hospital

Two out of three people with the neurodegenerative condition experienced delirium in hospital

Researchers from Newcastle University have revealed that people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are more likely to experience delirium while in hospital, resulting in confused thinking and a lack of awareness.

Results from the study funded by Parkinson’s UK could lead to better awareness of delirium and improve current tests used to determine delirium in patients with PD.

Considered a serious but treatable condition, delirium can cause confusion and hallucinations, as well as difficulty following conversations and feeling unusually sleepy.

Symptoms of delirium are also symptoms of PD, a neurodegenerative disease that affects around 153,000 people in the UK, which can make delirium difficult to treat in PD patients.

Researchers followed 121 patients with PD and 199 older adults without PD who had a stay in the hospital and documented how many of these patients’ experienced delirium during their time in the hospital and how they progressed over the following 12 months.

They found that two out of three people with PD experienced delirium during their hospital stay, while only one out of three older adults without PD experienced delirium.

Additionally, PD patients who had delirium were ten times more likely to need professional assistance compared to people who did not have delirium.

PD patients who experienced delirium in the hospital were also found to be more likely to have memory and thinking problems, including dementia, 12 months after leaving the hospital.

Despite not knowing why PD patients have an increased risk of experiencing delirium, researchers suggest that the current tests available to determine whether or not someone is experiencing delirium, are not always suitable for PD patients.

Dr Becky Jones, research communications manager, Parkinson’s UK, commented: “This study highlights the urgent need for better ways of measuring delirium in people with PD and being able to treat it sooner.

“Better tests to define and monitor delirium that take into account symptoms of PD could potentially help avoid these adverse effects.”