BODY SIGNAL ALERT: WHAT CAN CAUSE CONFUSION?
Confusion can also be caused by a new medication or a combination of medications. Elderly adults are especially prone to medication-induced confusion because of the tendency to mix sleeping medications and antidepressants or other medications, either prescribed or those purchased over the counter.
Have you ever seen an elderly man or woman in the park wearing a sweater when it’s 90 degrees out? One commonly overlooked cause of confusion in the elderly is the temperature inside and out. Many times, when an older person is exposed to extreme heat in the summer, she may get heatstroke; confusion is a common symptom.
Similarly, in the wintertime, extremely cold temperatures can cause a person to become confused, as the body sends most of its blood to the torso and away from the brain and extremities. Unfortunately, this scenario has become more common because the increasing number of elderly people on fixed incomes need to save money, and they often do so by cutting back on their heating costs, even in the extreme northern parts of the country.
Sometimes, however, a person who suddenly becomes confused will have no other symptoms. He will still need help, however, even though the cause is not clear, which is why it’s still important to get immediate medical attention even if nothing seems wrong.
If you have a relative with Alzheimer’s disease or other type of
dementia who suddenly becomes more confused than usual or is more difficult to cope with, it’s possible that he has a physical problem that is making his condition worse.
Sudden confusion can also be caused by a heart attack, a rapid or slow heart rate, a urinary tract infection, pneumonia, meningitis, or a blood infection called sepsis.
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