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The interface between delirium and dementia in elderly adults
Fong TG, Davis D, Growdon ME, Albuquerque A, Inouye SK.. The Lancet. Neurology, 2015-06-29
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Delirium and dementia are two of the most common causes of cognitive impairment in older populations, yet their interrelation remains poorly understood. Previous studies have shown that dementia is the leading risk factor for delirium and that delirium is an independent risk factor for subsequent development of dementia. However, a major area of controversy is whether delirium is simply a marker of vulnerability to dementia, whether the effect of delirium is solely related to its precipitating factors, or whether delirium itself can cause permanent neuronal damage and lead to dementia. Ultimately, all of these hypotheses are likely to be true. Emerging evidence from epidemiological, clinicopathological, neuroimaging, biomarker, and experimental studies lends support to a strong relation between delirium and dementia, and to both shared and distinct pathological mechanisms. New preventive and therapeutic approaches that target delirium might offer a sought-after opportunity for early intervention, preservation of cognitive reserve, and prevention of irreversible cognitive decline in ageing.
Key findings
- Previous studies have shown that dementia is the leading risk factor for delirium and that delirium is an independent risk factor for subsequent development of dementia.
Why it matters
This review states that dementia is the leading risk factor for delirium and that delirium is an independent risk factor for subsequent development of dementia. It suggests that new preventive and therapeutic approaches targeting delirium might offer an opportunity for early intervention and prevention of irreversible cognitive decline.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 56/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (The Lancet. Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | The Lancet Neurology: journal h-index 457 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2015 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 599 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 46.1 citations a year over 13 year(s) since 2015 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 26.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 15 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 143 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Sharon K. Inouye: h-index 118 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 26139023) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 56 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(15)00101-5
- PubMed: 26139023
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Fong, T. G., Davis, D., Growdon, M. E., Albuquerque, A., & Inouye, S. K. (2015). The interface between delirium and dementia in elderly adults. The Lancet. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1474-4422(15)00101-5
Vancouver
Fong TG, Davis D, Growdon ME, Albuquerque A, Inouye SK. The interface between delirium and dementia in elderly adults. The Lancet. Neurology. 2015. doi:10.1016/s1474-4422(15)00101-5. PMID: 26139023.
BibTeX
@article{fong2015-26139023,
author = {Fong, T. G. and Davis, D. and Growdon, M. E. and Albuquerque, A. and Inouye, S. K.},
title = {{The interface between delirium and dementia in elderly adults}},
journal = {The Lancet. Neurology},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1016/s1474-4422(15)00101-5},
pmid = {26139023},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/s1474-4422(15)00101-5}
}
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