Which term describes a state of acute agitation with dangerously elevated body temperature?

• A. Delirium Tremens
• B. Hyperthermic Crisis
• C. Excited Delirium
• D. Serotonin Syndrome

Answer: (C)

The situation describes a rapid, extreme state of agitation accompanied by a dangerously high body temperature, a pattern best captured by the term excited delirium. This label emphasizes both the acute behavioral arousal and the life-threatening hyperthermia that can accompany stimulant use, severe agitation, or delirium. It helps distinguish this presentation from other syndromes.

Delirium tremens, while it can involve agitation and autonomic symptoms, centers on alcohol withdrawal and has a more defined timeline and constellation of findings, not specifically the dramatic hyperthermia that defines excited delirium. Serotonin syndrome can also include high fever, but it typically presents with a recognizable neuromuscular picture (such as rapid clonus, hyperreflexia, rigidity) and a progression tied to serotonergic drug exposure, rather than the pure combination of acute agitation with dangerously elevated temperature alone. The term hyperthermic crisis is not a standard clinical description for this syndrome, so it’s not the best fit.