Delirium is also known as acute confusional state, altered mental status, and toxic metabolic encephalopathy, among more than 30 descriptive terms. Delirium can be thought of as acute brain failure and is the final common pathway of multiple mechanisms, similar to acute heart failure. The official definition of delirium in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5), requires a disturbance in attention and awareness that develops acutely and tends to fluctuate. The pathophysiological mechanisms of delirium remain poorly understood; leading models include neurotransmitter imbalance and neuroinflammation.
Diagnostic
Diagnostic Criteria for Anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death; it involves multiple organ systems, including the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, and skin.
Diagnostic Criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress occurring as a result of injury or severe psychological shock, typically involving disturbance of sleep and constant vivid recall of the experience, with dulled responses to others and to the outside world.
Diagnostic Criteria for Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety is the fear of interaction with other people that brings on self-consciousness, feelings of being negatively judged and evaluated, and, as a result, leads to avoidance.
Diagnostic Criteria of Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA)
Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) accounts for 2%-12% of all cases of diabetes. Patients are typically diagnosed after 35 years of age and are often misdiagnosed as type II Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Glycemic control is initially achieved with sulfonylureas, but patients eventually become insulin dependent more rapidly than with type II DM patients.
Diagnostic Criteria of Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC)
Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease of unknown cause that is characterized pathologically by an inflammatory and fibrotic process centered on the epithelium, leading to diffuse biliary stenosis and increased wall thickness throughout the intra- and extra-hepatic biliary trees.
Interpretation of Dengue Diagnostic Tests
Dengue virus infection produces a broad spectrum of symptoms, many of which are non-specific. Thus, a diagnosis based only on clinical symptoms is unreliable. Early laboratory confirmation of clinical diagnosis may be valuable because some patients progress over a short period from mild to severe disease and sometimes to death. Early intervention may be life-saving.
Diagnostic Criteria for Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM)
Inclusion body myositis is the most common myopathy in patients over the age of 40 years encountered in neurological practice. Although it is usually sporadic, there is increasing awareness of the influence of genetic factors on disease susceptibility and clinical phenotype. The diagnosis is based on recognition of the distinctive pattern of muscle involvement and temporal profile of the disease, and the combination of inflammatory and myodegenerative changes and protein deposits in the muscle biopsy.
Diagnostic Criteria for Narcolepsy (DSM-IV-TR)
Narcolepsy is characterized by permanent, overwhelming feelings of sleepiness and fatigue. Other symptoms include abnormalities of dreaming sleep, such as dream-like hallucinations and feeling physically weak or paralyzed for a few seconds.
Diagnostic Criteria for Transient Global Amnesia (TGA)
Transient global amnesia (TGA) is a benign, temporary loss of anterograde memory with sparing of immediate recall and remote memories.