Delirium and risk of incident cardiovascular events in elderly: data from a global health research network

Abstract Introduction Delirium is a common complication of acute medical disorders. A strong association between cardiovascular events and the occurrence of delirium has been recorded. Thus far, no data are available regarding the risk of incident cardiovascular events after delirium onset in older adults. Methods Using data from TriNetX, a global health federated research network, we performed a propensity score matched (PSM) analysis of older adults (age ≥65 years) admitted to the emergency department (ED) reporting delirium within two weeks, who were compared with those without delirium. We evaluated the occurrence of a composite outcome of cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, heart failure, intracranial haemorrhage, ventricular arrhythmias, takotsubo syndrome, and atrial fibrillation) at 30 days and 1 and 3 years of follow-up. Results 4,480,229 patients were retrieved for the analysis, and 82,693 (1.8%) reported delirium. Before PSM, patients reporting delirium were older, with more prevalent comorbidities. After PSM, a total of 165,386 patients were included in the analysis (mean (SD) age 76.6 (9.0) years, 51.1% females). Throughout the entire follow-up period, the cumulative composite cardiovascular events outcome was significantly higher in patients which reported delirium [Red Line, Figure 1]. Delirium was associated with cardiovascular events at 30 days (HR 1.96, 95% CI 1.92-2.00) ,1 year (HR 1.75, 95% CI 1.72-1.78) and 3 years (HR 1.67, 95% CI 1.64-1.69) of follow-up, as well as for each of its components (Table 1). The presence of delirium was also associated with a higher risk of all-cause death and hospital access (Table 1), evaluated as secondary outcomes. In patients with delirium associated with the occurrence of incident cardiovascular events, there was a higher risk of recurrent cardiovascular events at 1 year (HR 3.11, 95% CI 2.92-3.31) and 3 years (HR 2.84, 95% CI 2.67-3.01) of follow-up. Conclusions In a large, unselected cohort of older adults admitted to ED, occurrence of delirium was associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular events, both in the short and long-term follow-up.Figure 1:Delirium and CV EventsTable 1:Cox Regression Analysis