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Neuropsychiatric symptoms and Quality of Life in patients with very mild and mild Alzheimer's disease.

Authors :
Karttunen, Kristiina
Karppi, Pertti
Hiltunen, Asta
Vanhanen, Matti
Välimäki, Tarja
Martikainen, Janne
Valtonen, Hannu
Sivenius, Juhani
Soininen, Hilkka
Hartikainen, Sirpa
Suhonen, Jaana
Pirttilä, Tuula
Source :
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. May2011, Vol. 26 Issue 5, p473-482. 10p. 5 Charts.
Publication Year :
2011

Abstract

Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are common manifestations of Alzheimer’ s disease (AD). Objective: To examine the prevalence and significance of NPS in very mild and mild AD patients with emphasis on their influence on the well-being of the patients and their caregivers. Methods: The participants were 240 patient-caregiver dyads who participated in a prospective, controlled rehabilitation study (ALSOVA). Three Quality of Life (QoL) instruments were used; generic 15D, disease-specific QoL-AD and Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The disease-specific QoL-AD was both selfrated and caregiver rated. Other scales used were Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), ADCS-ADL, Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results: NPS were present in 76.5% of patients with very mild AD (CDR 0.5) and in 84.9% of patients with mild to moderate AD (CDR 1). The most frequent symptoms were apathy, depression, irritability, and agitation. The strongest predictor of self-reported QoL-AD scores was depressive symptoms whereas functional decline and presence of NPS predicted poor caregiver ratings of patients’ QoL. However, caregiver depression also influenced significantly their ratings. Conclusion: NPS are common even in the early stages of AD. NPS were significantly associated with caregiver assessment of the patient’s QoL but not with patients’ self-assessed QoL. Depression decreases QoL, but may remain unrecognized in AD patients, emphasizing the need for careful and structured assessment of NPS before deciding on the appropriate treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
08856230
Volume :
26
Issue :
5
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
59629252
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.2550