Acute confusional states in older adults and the role of polypharmacy.
Cognitive impairment resulting from drug therapy in older persons has been well documented for numerous classes of drugs. Unfortunately, the problem of ACS caused by polypharmacy is rarely reported in the medical literature, although we believe that it occurs frequently. Health professionals need more education concerning the risks of drug therapy in older persons and methods of reducing the use of multiple drug therapy. Finally, more research is needed to identify patient and drug factors that lead to drug-induced ACS and cognitive decline in the elderly.