Citation

Villani ER, Franza L, Cianci R. Rev. Recent Clin. Trials 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Bentham Science Publishers)

DOI

10.2174/1574887117666220811090608

PMID

35959617

Abstract

Head trauma and delirium are two common conditions in the elderly population. They both carry a heavy burden in terms of mortality and morbidity and are associated with one another through several environmental and clinical factors, such as comorbidities, age, and sex. One factor that may play a role in both these conditions is inflammation, which might also represent a link between these two conditions.. In particular, head trauma can cause both systemic and neuroinflammation, while delirium appears to be precipitated by inflammatory conditions, while also involving a number of inflammatory pathways in its pathogenesis. Interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor α are only two of the main actors in this crosstalk, which also involves microglia and immune cells. An indirect proof is that anti-inflammatory drugs, have proven effective in reducing posttraumatic delirium, thus demonstrating the importance of inflammation in the pathophysiology of this disease. In this paper, we have revised the available literature exploring the links between inflammation, head trauma and delirium and we will discuss the mechanisms of this relationship, paying particular attention to the possible future implications.

Language: en

Keywords

Trauma; Falls; Geriatrics; Delirium; Head trauma; Inflammation