Work

Delirium: the missing link between severe infection and subsequent dementia?

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: We agree with Rose S Penfold and colleagues that delirium may have a role in the association between severe (hospital-treated) infections and an increased risk of subsequent dementia; however, whether delirium is a cause of later cognitive impairment, an accelerator of pre-existing neurodegenerative processes, or merely a symptom of evolving dementia and a marker of other insults and underlying vulnerabilities remains unclear.1 In a recent study by Penfold and colleagues, delirium was strongly associated with the risk of dementia, but most cases of dementia were diagnosed within a year from the diagnosis of delirium.

Source: The Lancet Healthy Longevity

DOI: 10.1016/j.lanhl.2026.100874

Authors: Pyry N Sipilä, Mika Kivimäki

Institutions: University of Helsinki, University College London

Language: English

Topic: Intensive Care Unit Cognitive Disorders

Subfield: Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $6,680