AEIOUTIPS is an acronym for what?

• A. A treatment protocol
• B. A patient positioning method
• C. Causes of altered LOC
• D. A type of coma assessment

Answer: (C)

AEIOUTIPS is a mnemonic used in emergency medicine to recall the main causes of an altered level of consciousness. It helps clinicians rapidly consider broad categories that can depress or confuse mental status, guiding the differential diagnosis and next steps. Each part points to a key group: Alcohol, Epilepsy (or seizures), Insulin disturbances (hypoglycemia or severe hyperglycemia), Opiates and other toxins, Uremia, Trauma, Infection, Poisoning, and Stroke or other acute brain injury (with Psychiatric/psychological triggers sometimes included). This framing emphasizes etiologies—metabolic, toxicologic, infectious, and structural—rather than a treatment plan, a positioning technique, or a formal coma assessment. That’s why it’s best thought of as a guide to causes of altered LOC.