1. The Impact of COVID-19 Quarantine on Patients With Dementia and Family Caregivers: A Nation-Wide Survey
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Innocenzo Rainero, Amalia C. Bruni, Camillo Marra, Annachiara Cagnin, Laura Bonanni, Chiara Cupidi, Valentina Laganà, Elisa Rubino, Alessandro Vacca, Raffaele Di Lorenzo, Paolo Provero, Valeria Isella, Nicola Vanacore, Federica Agosta, Ildebrando Appollonio, Paolo Caffarra, Cinzia Bussè, Renato Sambati, Davide Quaranta, Valeria Guglielmi, Giancarlo Logroscino, Massimo Filippi, Gioacchino Tedeschi, Carlo Ferrarese, the SINdem COVID-19 Study Group, Erica Gallo, Alberto Grassini, Andrea Marcinnò, Fausto Roveta, Paola De Martino, Francesca Frangipane, Gianfranco Puccio, Rosanna Colao, Maria Mirabelli, Chiara Terracciano, Federica Lino, Stefano Mozzetta, Gianmarco Gazzola, Giulia Camporese, Simona Sacco, Maria Carmela Lechiara, Claudia Carrarini, Mirella Russo, Alfonsina Casa lena, Patrizia Sucapane, Pietro Tiraboschi, Paola Caroppo, Veronica Redaelli, Giuseppe Di Fede, Daniela Coppa, Lenino Peluso, Pasqualina Insarda, Matteo De Bartolo, Sabrina Esposito, Alessandro Iavarone, Carmine Fuschillo, Elena Salvatore, Chiara Criscuolo, Luisa Sambati, Rossella Santoro, Daniela Gragnaniello, Ilaria Pedriali, Livia Ludovico, Annalisa Chiari, Andrea Fabbo, Petra Bevilacqua, Chiara Galli, Silvia Magarelli, Gianfranco Spalletta, Nerisa Banaj, Giulia Caruso, Desirée Estela Porcari, Franco Giubilei, Anna Rosa Casini, Francesca Ursini, Giuseppe Bruno, Stefano Boffelli, Michela Brambilla, Giuseppe Magnani, Francesca Caso, Edoardo G. Spinelli, Elena Sinforiani, Alfredo Costa, Simona Luzzi, Gabriella Cacchiò, A.I.M.A. –sez Parma, Marta Perini, Rossano Angeloni, Cinzia Giuli, Katia Fabi, Marco Guidi, Cristina Paci, Annaelisa Castellano, Elena Carapelle, Rossella Petrucci, Miriam Accogli, Giovanna Nicoletta Trevisi, Serena Renna, Antonella Vasquez Giuliano, Fulvio Da Re, Antonio Milia, Giuseppina Pilia, Maria Giuseppina Mascia, Valeria Putzu, Tommaso Piccoli, Luca Cuffaro, Roberto Monastero, Antonella Battaglia, Valeria Blandino, Federica Lupo, Eduardo Cumbo, Antonina Luca, Giuseppe Caravaglios, Annalisa Vezzosi, Valentina Bessi, Gloria Tognoni, Valeria Calsolaro, Giulia Lucarelli, Serena Amici, Alberto Trequattrini, Salvatore Pezzuto, Patrizia Mecocci, Giulia Caironi, Barbara Boselli, Marino Formilan, Alessandra Coin, Laura De Togni, Francesca Sala, Giulia Sandri, Maurizio Gallucci, Anna Paola Mazzarolo, Cristina Bergamelli, and Serena Passoni
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quarantine ,COVID-19 ,dementia ,Alzheimer’s disease ,BPSD ,caregiver burden ,Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry ,RC321-571 - Abstract
IntroductionPrevious studies showed that quarantine for pandemic diseases is associated with several psychological and medical effects. The consequences of quarantine for COVID-19 pandemic in patients with dementia are unknown. We investigated the clinical changes in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and evaluated caregivers’ distress during COVID-19 quarantine.MethodsThe study involved 87 Italian Dementia Centers. Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), and Vascular Dementia (VD) were eligible for the study. Family caregivers of patients with dementia were interviewed by phone in April 2020, 45 days after quarantine declaration. Main outcomes were patients’ changes in cognitive, behavioral, and motor symptoms. Secondary outcomes were effects on caregivers’ psychological features.Results4913 patients (2934 females, 1979 males) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Caregivers reported a worsening in cognitive functions in 55.1% of patients, mainly in subjects with DLB and AD. Aggravation of behavioral symptoms was observed in 51.9% of patients. In logistic regression analysis, previous physical independence was associated with both cognitive and behavioral worsening (odds ratio 1.85 [95% CI 1.42–2.39], 1.84 [95% CI 1.43–2.38], respectively). On the contrary, pandemic awareness was a protective factor for the worsening of cognitive and behavioral symptoms (odds ratio 0.74 [95% CI 0.65–0.85]; and 0.72 [95% CI 0.63–0.82], respectively). Approximately 25.9% of patients showed the onset of new behavioral symptoms. A worsening in motor function was reported by 36.7% of patients. Finally, caregivers reported a high increase in anxiety, depression, and distress.ConclusionOur study shows that quarantine for COVID-19 is associated with an acute worsening of clinical symptoms in patients with dementia as well as increase of caregivers’ burden. Our findings emphasize the importance to implement new strategies to mitigate the effects of quarantine in patients with dementia.
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- 2021
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