When someone is confused, the healthcare provider will try to determine the cause. A medical history and physical exam is done first. In some cases, this may be all that is needed to figure out the cause. Further testing is often needed, however. Blood tests are commonly done to help check for salt or hormone imbalances, liver disease, and many other conditions.
Urine testing can help rule out an infection or kidney problem.
A chest X-ray can be done to look for lung conditions, such as pneumonia . Further tests may be needed in some cases. For example, a cranial CT scan can be done to look for a stroke or brain tumor. Long-term effects are related to the cause of the confusion. For example, confusion caused by an infection often goes away once the person gets over the infection.