[Impaired consciousness].

Consciousness disorder is one of the common signs that clinicians treat every day. It is further more frequently found in elderly patients, but it is often difficult to make an exact diagnosis and to give a suitable treatment for each case. There are many kinds of diseases or systemic disorders which impair consciousness, and moreover, various backgrounds (e.g. their lifestyle, mental problems, etc.) characteristic for aged people often make the diagnosis unclear. Therefore, it is very important for every physician assigned to emergency room to have broad viewpoint and to make careful examinations approaching such patients. Needless to say, if the patient is facing crisis, more priority should be given to emergency treatment than to precise diagnosis.