Which item is included in the AEIOUTIPS mnemonic for causes of altered mental status?

• A. Hypertension
• B. Alcohol
• C. Anxiety
• D. Pain

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that AEIOU TIPS is a quick checklist of common, reversible causes of altered mental status that clinicians use in urgent evaluation. Alcohol is included because both intoxication and withdrawal can rapidly and profoundly change consciousness and behavior—from mild confusion to delirium or coma. Understanding this category helps you recognize why an AMS patient might present with symptoms after drinking or after stopping alcohol.

Other parts of the mnemonic cover surgical and medical categories such as seizures or postictal states, infections, metabolic problems like abnormal insulin levels, toxic overdoses, kidney failure (leading to uremia), brain trauma, poisoning, and stroke. While hypertension, anxiety, and pain can influence how a patient feels or reports symptoms, they aren’t the specific categories this mnemonic relies on for quickly remembering AMS causes.