Table 3. Risk Factors and Correlates of Delirium in Older Emergency Department Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019.
| Risk factor | Risk factor prevalence, patients, No. (%) (N = 817) | Patients with delirium, No./total (%) | RR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk factor present | Risk factor absent | |||
| Risk factors (before baseline)a | ||||
| Age >75 y | 459 (56) | 157/459 (34) | 69/358 (19) | 1.77 (1.39-2.27) |
| Male | 386 (47) | 103/386 (27) | 123/431 (29) | 0.94 (0.75-1.17) |
| Black | 215 (27) | 58/215 (27) | 164/578 (28) | 0.95 (0.74-1.23) |
| Hispanic or Latinx | 54 (7) | 11/54 (20) | 211/739 (29) | 0.71 (0.42-1.22) |
| Nonwhite race | 300 (38) | 79/300 (26) | 143/493 (29) | 0.91 (0.72-1.15) |
| English, nonfluent | 111 (14) | 29/111 (26) | 193/690 (28) | 0.93 (0.67-1.31) |
| Living in nursing home | 213 (26) | 72/213 (34) | 154/604 (26) | 1.33 (1.05-1.67) |
| Living in nursing home or assisted living | 297 (36) | 104/297 (35) | 122/520 (24) | 1.49 (1.20-1.86) |
| Heavy alcohol use | 20 (2) | 4/20 (20) | 222/797 (28) | 0.72 (0.30-1.74) |
| Active smoker | 16 (2) | 5/16 (31) | 221/801 (28) | 1.13 (0.54-2.36) |
| Prior psychoactive medication use | 464 (57) | 155/464 (33) | 71/353 (20) | 1.66 (1.30-2.12) |
| Chronic conditions (comorbidities) | ||||
| ≥4 Chronic conditions | 119 (15) | 48/119 (40) | 178/698 (26) | 1.58 (1.23-2.04) |
| Vision impairment | 59 (7) | 36/59 (61) | 190/758 (25) | 2.43 (1.92-3.09) |
| Hearing impairment | 54 (7) | 23/54 (43) | 203/763 (27) | 1.60 (1.15-2.23) |
| Cognitive impairment or dementia | 248 (30) | 95/248 (38) | 131/569 (23) | 1.66 (1.34-2.07) |
| Stroke or cerebrovascular accident | 107 (13) | 46/107 (43) | 180/710 (25) | 1.70 (1.32-2.18) |
| Parkinson disease | 23 (3) | 14/23 (61) | 212/794 (27) | 2.28 (1.61-3.23) |
| Chronic pulmonary disease | 221 (27) | 53/221 (24) | 173/596 (29) | 0.83 (0.63-1.08) |
| Diabetes | 312 (38) | 90/312 (29) | 136/505 (27) | 1.07 (0.85-1.34) |
| Obesity (body mass index ≥35)b | 67 (8) | 21/67 (31) | 205/750 (27) | 1.15 (0.79-1.67) |
| Active cancer | 37 (5) | 10/37 (27) | 216/780 (28) | 0.98 (0.57-1.68) |
| Chronic kidney disease | 179 (22) | 51/179 (29) | 175/638 (27) | 1.04 (0.80-1.35) |
| Requiring hemodialysis | 38 (5) | 8/38 (21) | 218/779 (28) | 0.75 (0.40-1.41) |
| Chronic liver disease | 23 (3) | 8/23 (35) | 218/794 (28) | 1.27 (0.72-2.24) |
| Immunosuppressive conditions | 69 (8) | 14/69 (20) | 212/748 (28) | 0.72 (0.44-1.16) |
| Mental health conditions | 227 (28) | 76/227 (34) | 150/590 (25) | 1.32 (1.05-1.66) |
Abbreviation: RR, relative risk.
a
Data are missing on race variables for 3% of cases and on English fluency for 2% of cases.
b
Body mass index is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.