Jack is a 79-year old man with multiple medical problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, several minor strokes, atherosclerosis, and degenerative disk disease. Jack sees several doctors, who all prescribe him medication. Recently, Jack's wife and children have noticed that he has become increasingly confused and they have to repeat questions because his attention wanders. After reviewing all of Jack's medications, his primary-care physician decided to either discontinue or reduce several of his prescriptions. Within a month, Jack's symptoms dramatically improved. Given this information, Jack would most likely be diagnosed with

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Jack's symptoms of confusion and wandering attention are indicative of delirium, which is often caused by medication interactions or overdosing in elderly patients with multiple medical problems. The fact that discontinuing or reducing several prescriptions improved his symptoms further supports this diagnosis.

Jack Is a 79-Year Old Man with Multiple Medical Problems