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Chapter 5 - Coma, Delirium, and Dementia

from Section 2 - Common Neurologic Presentations: A Symptom-Based Approach

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2024

By
Chadd E. Nesbit  and
Deeksha Agrawal
Edited by
Thomas P. Campbell  and
Kevin M. Kelly
Thomas P. Campbell
Affiliation:
Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh
Kevin M. Kelly
Affiliation:
Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh
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Summary

Alterations in mental status are a frequently encountered chief complaint that the emergency physician is asked to evaluate. These changes vary from marked depression of mental status to extreme over-activation. The differential diagnosis of altered mental status (AMS) is perhaps one of the broadest encountered in medicine. Here we will discuss alterations in mental status, and a diagnostic approach to these types of patients.

Keywords

altered mental statuscomaGCSdeliriumencephalopathy
Type
Chapter
Information
Handbook of Emergency Neurology , pp. 51 - 69
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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