Infections causing short-term dementia?

Hey Bodhi!

I don't have an explanation as to why this happens, but it did most definitely happen to my dad.  He also had a very bad UTI and told stories to us how he was hollering to my mom for her to come help him, how he struggled to get out of bed knocking things off the nighstand, etc.  Mom never heard anything and the surroundings in the bedroom were untouched.  He absolutely did not put those things back. 

Once he was treated and started healing, he "came back".  This was two years ago and to this day he has no memory problems.

Hope that helps!

Hi Bodhi,

What you're describing is pretty common in older people. It's called delirium, and can be triggered by infections, electrolyte balance disturbances...or even just being hospitalized. My grandmother became delirious every single time she went into the hospital: she became very paranoid, heard voices, and had to be restrained so she wouldn't hurt herself. It was very alarming!

But once the underlying cause is treated, people usually go right back to being their normal selves. It's incredible, that mind-body connection, isn't it?

If you'd like to read more, check out this link:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000740.htm

It sure is interesting how the body reacts to all these changes as we get older.

Thanks for the link Stephanie - that's a great reference link.

Now that I think about it, my Mom complained about the disorientation that would last for weeks after having anesthesia for surgury....

It's like what the body and mind can cope with just starts to shrink.  

This delirium is now a sign to us that something medical is going wrong with Mom. Sometimes, it comes on so slowly, it's almost like a personality change. I've seen several instances in my mom in the last 5 years, but it still seems to catch me off guard when it's happening.

The tricky thing has been convincing Mom to go to a doctor at times like this, since the 'personality change' makes her more skeptical, untrusting, and thinking that she is losing her mind, rather than having something medical and cureable going on. Hindsight is 20/20, and it has really been useful to go back and talk it over with her. She usually can't believe what happened, like she was asleep for that period of time or like she was seeing it thru some really different glasses.