INT'L. J. PSYCHIATRY IN MEDICINE, Vol. 19(2) 165-172,1989 zyxw MANAGEMENT OF DELIRIUM IN TERMINALLY ILL AIDS PATIENTS* FRANCISCO FERNANDEZ, M.D. JOEL K. LEVY, PH.D. zyxwvu Baylor College of Medicine, Houston PETER W. A. MANSELL, M.D. Head, Section of AIDS Research University of Texas System Cancer Center M. D. Anderson Howital and Tumor Institute ABSTRACT zyxwv Delirium is the most common neuropsychiatric complication of hospitalized AIDS patients. Typically, delirium is multifactorialin etiology and a complete evaluation to rule out zyxwvuts all treatable, contributable medical conditions should be the first stage in the approach to a delirious AIDS patient. While a search for probable cause is underway, the next goal of treatment should be sedation zyxw To help cliniciansrecognize and manage delirium in advanced HIV disease,we describe our experiencewith 206 AIDS patients. (Int'l. J. Psychiatry in Medicine 19: 165-1 72, 1989) A central focus concerning psychiatric care of terminally ill patients with the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has been the increasing and unsettling prevalence of organic mental disorders (OMDs) [ 1,2] . Although the exact incidence of OMDs with fully developed AIDS is unknown, clinical reports suggest that up to 90 percent of patients will develop an OMD at some time during the course of illness. Of all OMDs, delirium is the most frequently encountered in hospitalized patients [3]. The detection of delirium or any other * Presented on June 13, 1988 at the IVth International Conference on AIDS, Stockholm, Sweden. 165 Q 1989, Baywood Publishing Co.. Inc. doi: 10.2190/FWJP-2YPC-JPFA-LM3N http://baywood.com