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Recent studies have shown that atypical antipsychotics can be as effective as haloperidol in managing delirium. However, there are few comparative studies between atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of delirium. We investigated the efficacy and side effects of aripiprazole and quetiapine for the treatment of patients with delirium. MethodszzForty two inpatients with delirium according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition. Text Revision and Korean version of Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 (K-DRS-98) criteria were included. They were assigned to either aripiprazole or quetiapine groups, with a flexible dosing schedule. K-DRS-98 and Clinical Global Impression- Severity (CGI-S) were used for evaluating the severity of delirium. The degree of sedation was assessed by using the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) six times per day. The severity of side effect was evaluated with the Drug-Induced ExtraPyramidal Symptoms Scale and the Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale. K-DRS-98 and RASS were conducted daily until the remission of delirium while other measurements were conducted twice at the point of baseline and remission. For statistical analysis, t-test, Fisher’s exact test, Mann-Whitney test, analysis of covariance were conducted. ResultszzThe scores of K-DRS-98 in both groups significantly decreased after treatment (p<0.001), without any significant differences (F=0.294, p=0.591). There were no significant group differences in the duration of remission (p=0.440) and the degree of improvement in the score of CGI-S. In aripiprazole group, there were significantly more numbers of the stable state defined as daily total scores of RASS ≥-3 (p=0.034). The scores on sleep cycle of K-DRS-98-severity more significantly decreased in the quetiapine group than aripiprazole group (F=4.291, p=0.045). There were no significant side effects both groups including extrapyramidal symptoms. ConclusionzzThese results suggest that both aripiprazole and quetiapine appear to be effective and tolerable in the treatment of delirium. Aripiprazole may be less sedative than quetiapine and it may be more useful than aripiprazole in sleep problem of delirium. To validate our results, further studies with double-blind, placebo-controlled with a large sample will be required.
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