Altered Mental Status: Causes & Reasons

Possible Causes for Altered Mental Status

Her serum [Na] and altered mental status corrected slowly over the next 48 hours with furosemide, hypertonic saline, and fluid restriction. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

SUMMARY: An 82-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with altered mental status thought to be due to complicated cystitis and was treated with TMP-SMX 160 mg [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Therefore, medical care should be sought when individuals develop altered mental status, confusion, or lethargy; have had a seizure; or cannot be wakened. [emedicinehealth.com]

Hypertensive Encephalopathy

His altered mental status, however, resolved with control of blood pressure. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

A middle age woman with a history of chronic kidney diseas e and hypertension presents with chest pain and altered mental status. [everydayebm.org]

Clinical manifestations include headache; nausea; vomiting; seizures; altered mental status (in some cases progressing to coma); papilledema; and retinal hemorrhage ICD-9- [icd9data.com]

Bacterial Encephalitis

Classic Presentation Fever Altered Mental Status Stiff Neck The classic triad of meningitis includes fever, neck stiffness, and altered mental status. [cdemcurriculum.com]

Symptoms then progress to fever, headache and altered mental status. [infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com]

mental status defined as: Decreased or altered level of consciousness, Or Lethargy, Or Personality change And: Lasting ≥ 24 hours Minor Criteria: 2 for possible encephalitis [lifeinthefastlane.com]

Aspiration Pneumonia

Additionally, altered mental status on emergency department arrival, white blood cell count, and increased exposure duration were independently associated with the development [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

It commonly occurs in patients with altered mental status who have an impaired gag or swallowing reflex. [patientslikeme.com]

Metabolic Encephalopathy

List of causes for alteration in mental status Acute encephalopathy (Acute confusional state; Altered mental status) Delirium is characterized by: Fluctuations of alertness [quizlet.com]

[…] or structure” and says the “hallmark of encephalopathy is an altered mental status.” [acphospitalist.org]

Patient admitted with suspected UTI and worsening altered mental status, possible encephalopathy will f/u.” [cdiarchive.com]

Encephalopathy

How many patients who are admitted to the hospital have, as one of their medical problems, an altered mental status? [acphospitalist.org]

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome is an encephalopathy that can be clinically characterized by headache, altered mental status and/or seizures. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

[…] or structure” and says the “hallmark of encephalopathy is an altered mental status.” [acphospitalist.org]

Wernicke Encephalopathy

Work-Up 10  CBC – R/o severe anemias and leukemias as causes of altered mental status  Blood glucose levels hypoglycemia/ hyperglycemia  O2 Saturation and ABG - Exclude [slideshare.net]

Wernicke encephalopathy, a triad of ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and altered mental status, is a serious consequence of thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

mental status, and/or gait ataxia. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Sepsis-Associated Encephalopathy

Clinical features of SAE include change in mental status (altered mental status/ AMS), disturbances in mental processes, agitation, disorientation, impaired attention, hypersomnolence [clinicaltrials.gov]

The main sign of SAE is an altered mental status. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Our study confirms the prognostic significance of mild alteration of mental status in patients with sepsis. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Uremic Encephalopathy

mental status (confusion) Cranial nerve signs (nystagmus) Papilledema Hyperreflexia, clonus, asterixis Altered gait Stupor Coma (occurs only if uremia remains untreated and [emedicine.medscape.com]

Clinical Indicators: Showing some of the following signs and symptoms: Altered Mental Status from baseline Coma Confusion Delirium Disorientation Lethargic Psychosis Restlessness [forums.acdis.org]

It causes altered mental status due to involvement of cerebral cortex termed as uremic encephalopathy. [ruralneuropractice.com]

Hypoglycemic Encephalopathy

Initial DWI was performed during which each patient showed altered mental status that was attributed to profound hypoglycemia. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

[…] doi: 10.1097/NRL.0b013e3181a6ec56 Clinical Report Abstract Author Information Authors Article Metrics Metrics Hypoglycemia is a frequently encountered cause of altered mental [journals.lww.com]

status in clinical practice. [journals.lww.com]

Meningitis

[…] of headache, fever, neck stiffness, and altered mental status. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

The most common symptoms of meningitis are fever, headache, neck stiffness and altered mental status. [symptoma.com]

On physical examination, the absence of fever, neck stiffness, and altered mental status effectively eliminates meningitis (sensitivity, 99%-100% for the presence of 1 of [doi.org]

Salicylate Poisoning

Take-Home Points Elderly patients with altered mental status require a thorough medical evaluation for high-risk clinical conditions. [jucm.com]

mental status. [kidshealthwa.com]

The patient presented with an altered mental status and a fever above 40.0℃. [e-jnc.org]

Lyme Meningoencephalitis

Altered mental status is rare and if present should increase suspicion for acute purulent meningitis or encephalitis. [infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com]

mental status, myalgia, rash, and headaches. [wikidoc.org]

Patients may also present with neurological deficits, altered mental status, and seizures, indicating increased intracranial pressure (ICP). [amboss.com]

Hypercalcemia

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome is an encephalopathy that can be clinically characterized by headache, altered mental status and/or seizures. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

A 37-year-old man with AIDS presented with altered mental status four weeks after stopping his medications for Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare (MAI). [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

mental status. [web.archive.org]

Myxedema

The condition is diagnosed from a combination of abnormal thyroid function, physical examination findings of severe hypothyroidism, and altered mental status. [nejm.org]

mental status (patient doesn’t have to be in a coma to qualify). [uclaoliveview.org]

mental status Why do we care? [emdocs.net]

Histoplasma Meningitis

Headache, stiff neck, fever, nausea and vomiting, photophobia, and altered mental status are potential symptoms of fungal meningitis. [medicinenet.com]

mental status. 32 Most patients with aspergillus meningitis present with altered mental status, seizures, or focal neurologic deficits. [ahcmedia.com]

mental status (drowsiness or confusion). [1] [2] Causes [ edit ] Fungal meningitis may be caused by the following (and also other) types of fungi: [1] [2] [3] Candida - C [en.wikipedia.org]

Tricyclic Antidepressant Overdose

The authors describe a patient with tricyclic antidepressant overdose who presented with altered mental status and whose serial ECG changes played a significant role in diagnosing [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

They found that major manifestations of toxicity on ED evaluation (altered mental status, seizures, arrhythmias, and conduction defects) were commonly associated with a complicated [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

[…] of urine, K + repletion, haemodialysis, hydration Serotonin Syndrome Meperidine; MAOI, SSRI, TCA Altered mental status, increased muscle tone, hyperreflexia, hyperthermia [academic.oup.com]

Hypernatremia

Commonly Associated Conditions Gastroenteritis Altered mental status Burns Hypermetabolic conditions Head injury Renal dysfunction -- To view the remaining sections of this [unboundmedicine.com]

A 61-year-old male presents in middle of July with altered mental status. [emdocs.net]

mental status, impaired thirst mechanism). [amboss.com]

Anticholinergic Toxicity

We report a case in which a one-year-old male initially presented with altered mental status and respiratory distress and subsequently developed symptoms of anticholinergic [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

mental status without a clear cause. [em.umaryland.edu]

A 62 year-old female, escorted by her son, presents to the emergency department for altered mental status. [emdocs.net]

Legionella Meningoencephalitis

Review of systems was limited secondary to altered mental status, but he did admit to mild dry cough. [bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com]

As the brain is often affected, confusion or an altered mental status are almost ubiquitous.2–5 In addition, brainstem and cerebellar symptoms such as ataxi2,5 or dysarthria [journalpulmonology.org]

mental status (defined as decreased or altered level of consciousness, lethargy, or personality change) lasting ≥24 hours with no alternative cause identified Documented [arupconsult.com]

Milk-Alkali Syndrome

A 41-year-old woman was brought by her husband to the emergency department with a history of 72 hours of epigastric pain, nausea, repeated vomiting, and altered mental status [content.nejm.org]

Today we discussed a case of altered mental status in a patient who was found to have hypercalcemia secondary to milk alkali syndrome. [imrespdx.com]

mental status -confusion, disorientation, stupor joint pain joint destruction needing hip replacement surgery A very famous medical text book Harrison's: The Princals of [reboundhealth.com]

Postinfectious Encephalomyelitis

mental status Evaluation clinical diagnosis with MRI imaging MRI symmetric or asymmetric lesions in multifocal areas PCR of CSF for JC virus brain biopsy Treatment patients [medbullets.com]

Symptoms then progress to fever, headache and altered mental status. [infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com]

As opposed to meningitis, patients with encephalitis tend to present with more profound alterations in mental status and neurological deficits. [errolozdalga.com]

Hyperpyrexia

Treatment • Monitoring and IV access should be obtained in the field for unstable patients or patients with altered mental status • Immediate treatment rarely required • Airway [slideshare.net]

[…] en Clinical manifestations of NMS are hyperpyrexia, muscle rigidity, altered mental status and evidence of autonomic instability (irregular pulse or blood pressure, tachycardia [sl.glosbe.com]

English Clinical manifestations of NMS are hyperpyrexia, muscle rigidity, altered mental status and evidence of autonomic instability (irregular pulse or blood pressure, tachycardia [mymemory.translated.net]

Myxedema Coma

Aside from altered mental status, heart block was present in addition to hypothermia and hypercarbia. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Methods/Results: A 7-year-old Caucasian male with chromosome 1q deletion presented with altered mental status preceded by milestone regression. [karger.com]

Of 29 patients, 20 had altered mental status within 24 hours of treatment start. [healio.com]

Listerial Meningitis

Ten percent were comatose (Glasgow coma score ≤ 8), and an additional 70% had altered mental status (Glasgow score < 14). [ahcmedia.com]

[…] of headache, fever, neck stiffness, and altered mental status. [academic.oup.com]

While the entire meningitis triad of nuchal rigidity, fever and altered mental status was present in only 43% of patients, 97% had at least 2 of 4 symptoms and/or signs if [ahcmedia.com]

AIDS-Associated Meningoencephalitis

Altered mental status is rare and if present should increase suspicion for acute purulent meningitis or encephalitis. [infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com]

Focal meningeal and parenchymal enhancement is seen on MRI, and patients typically present with seizure or altered mental status. [hivinsite.ucsf.edu]

During the hospitalization he presented symptoms consistent with gradually increasing intracranial pressure such as headache and altered mental status that required multiple [elsevier.es]

Cerebral Vein Thrombosis

mental status. [emdocs.net]

Elderly patients more commonly present with altered mental status and confusion as compared to younger patients [12]. [epmonthly.com]

29 (15%) patients, altered mental status 38 (19%), and focal neurological deficit 45 (22%) patients. [link.springer.com]

Thyrotoxic Crisis

Graves’ disease, multi nodular goiter) Clinical Manifestation Classic presentation: fever, tachycardia and altered mental status See below for common additional symptoms and [coreem.net]

Aggressive management resolve fever, tachycardia and alter mental status in 24 hs. Dispose :ICU Avoid interruption : reoccurrence and death 26. [slideshare.net]

Snapshot A 34-year-old female with a past medical history of well-controlled Graves disease is brought to the emergency room for altered mental status. [medbullets.com]

Intracranial Abscess

From the lesson Altered Mental Status, Brain Death, & Central Nervous System Infections The description goes here Meet the Instructors Daniel Lowenstein, MD Professor and [coursera.org]

mental status), and blood cultures. [emdocs.net]

Seizures and neck stiffness may be seen in some patients Focal motor and sensory neurological deficits, along with altered mental status are common If the abscess is located [dovemed.com]

Drug-Induced Hypoglycemia

Severe hypoglycemia : Altered mental status that requires assistance of a third party to actively administer carbohydrates, glucagon, or take other corrective actions. [empendium.com]

Answer and interpretation It is traditionally advocated that thiamine 100mg IV be given prior to administering a bolus of glucose to the patient with altered mental status [lifeinthefastlane.com]

mental status changes, for which no medical cause could be found. [nature.com]