Acute disease induced cognitive dysfunction in older patients

$\bf Background:$ It is unknown, how many older hospitalized patients experience cognitive changes independently from delirium. $\bf Methods:$ In this retrospective study, cognitive function was assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment on admission and discharge in 103 acute care geriatric hospital patients. $\bf Results:$ Mean age was 80.8 $\pm$ 7.3 years. The total MoCA score on admission was 17.8 ($\pm$4.5) and at discharge 17.7 ($\pm$4.4). The mean difference of the total MoCA score was − 0.1 ($\pm$3.5). 12 (11.7%) patients suffered from delirium. 46 (44.7%) patients experienced significant changes of cognitive function  2 MoCA points without delirium. There was no significant association between delirium during hospital stay and the prevalence and magnitude of changes in total MoCA score. $\bf Conclusion:$ Cognitive changes frequently occur during acute disease of geriatric patients independently from delirium. We propose the term "acute disease induced cognitive dysfunction" (ADICD) for this entity