Parkinson’s UK funded Dr Rachael Lawson at Newcastle University and her team to investigate delirium in Parkinson’s. She has recently been a guest on the North of Scotland Parkinson’s Research Interest Group Podcast with Dr Julie Jones, based at the School of Health Sciences at the Robert Gordon University, and Helga Macfarlane.

Listen to the full interview at the end of the blog!

What is delirium?

Delirium is a serious but often treatable condition that can suddenly start in someone who is unwell. People with delirium may appear confused, experience hallucinations, have difficulty following conversations or be unusually sleepy. These features can also occur in people with Parkinson’s, making delirium more difficult to identify. Therefore, it is vital that we develop ways of identifying delirium in Parkinson’s.

Researchers at Newcastle University have worked together to combine data from two research studies: the DELIRIUM-PD study, led by Rachael; and the DECIDE study, led by Dr Sarah Richardson. This has allowed researchers to directly compare delirium in people with Parkinson’s against older adults without Parkinson’s, throughout their hospital admission and how they progressed over the 12 months following their hospital admission.

Delirium in Parkinson’s is common

Florence Gerakios from the Brain and Movement group is completing her PhD on the presentation of delirium in Parkinson’s. She found that 2 out of 3 of people with Parkinson’s experienced a delirium compared to 1 out of 3 in older adults without Parkinson’s.

Rachael’s team also found that those with Parkinson’s who experienced a delirium were 10 times more likely to need increased care after leaving hospital, such as 24-hour home or nursing care, compared to those who did not have a delirium. People with Parkinson’s who had experienced delirium in hospital were also more likely to have memory and thinking problems, such as dementia, in the next 12 months after leaving hospital.

This research is important, because it shows us that people with Parkinson’s may be more likely to experience delirium in an admission to hospital, but it is not always spotted. Rachael and her team are currently investigating ways that could lead to the better recognition and treatment of delirium in Parkinson’s.

Listen below to Rachael talk about her research and some of the challenges she has faced in completing this much needed research. Or available wherever you get your podcasts.