In 16 patients there was a considerable decrease in severity of delirium. Eight patients could not be treated because of dysphagia and one because of early discharge. In total 26 fulfilled these criteria of whom 17 were treated with orally administered rivastigmine with a total dose between 3 and 12 mg a day. Only patients with a severe and persistent delirium (defined as a DRS of 12 or more for more than 24 hours) were enrolled in the present study. Sixty-two patients developed a delirium in the acute phase of stroke. Severity was scored with the delirium rating scale (DRS). In 527 consecutive stroke patients presence of delirium was assessed during the first week with the confusion assessment method. This pilot study was performed within an epidemiological study. Given the presumed cholinergic deficiency in delirium, we tested treatment with the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor rivastigmine. Delirium is a common disorder in the early phase of stroke.
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