Steroids might Increase Delirium Risk in ICU Patients

Steroid-use might up delirium risk in Intensive care unit (ICU) patients, a new study shows.

According to researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, doctors need to monitor steroid use in ICU to lower the risk of delirium in patients.

Delirium is a state of confusion that occurs after a surgery, infection or an illness. According to previous research, the condition is common and affects 15-60 percent of all patients in the U.S.

Common symptoms associated with delirium are confusion, agitation and hallucinations. Previous research has shown that ICU-delirium can lead to brain damage similar to those with traumatic brain injury or Alzheimer's disease.

Steroids are used to treat septic shock in patients or to fight inflammation in the lungs. According to researchers, studies have shown that most patients don't benefit from steroids in these conditions.

"We need to be cautious in our use of steroids in critically ill patients and weigh the risks and benefits of using them," said Dale M. Needham, M.D., an associate professor of medicine and of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "Sometimes they are necessary, but we need to be thoughtful about minimizing the dose and duration of steroid use when possible." Needham is the lead author of the study.

The study was based on data from 330 acute lung injury patients, who were admitted in the ICU between October 2004 and October 2007.

The team found that people treated with steroids had 52 percent higher risk of developing delirium the next day than other patients, according to a news release.

The study is published in the journal Critical Care Medicine. National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute supported the study.

Steroids might be linked to physical impairments faced by patients post-discharge, according to earlier research by Needham and colleagues.