A state in which a person has difficulty thinking clearly, understanding their surroundings, processing information, or maintaining normal awareness.
Confusion can range from mild difficulty concentrating or organizing thoughts to severe disorientation and inability to recognize people, places, or situations. It can result from infections, medications, metabolic disturbances, neurological conditions, lack of oxygen, intoxication, or other causes.
Sudden confusion, particularly in an older adult or someone who is acutely ill, can be a medical emergency.
QUICK FACT
Sudden confusion is not simply a normal part of aging and should not automatically be attributed to age.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
Dementia: a broader syndrome involving persistent decline in cognitive abilities; confusion can occur in dementia but can also arise suddenly from many reversible causes.
SEE ALSO
