Regular Research ArticlesA Cross-Sectional Study of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in 435 Patients With Alzheimer's Disease
Section snippets
Subjects
Ethical approval was obtained from the Queen's University of Belfast Research Ethics Committee, and the patient or next-of-kin provided written informed consent. We enrolled 435 patients identified from old-age psychiatry and geriatric medical clinic records who met the criteria for diagnosis of probable AD, as defined by the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS-ADRDA).13 Patients with MMSE14
Patient Characteristics
Demographic and clinical data are shown in Table 1. Sixty-six percent of participants were women. The mean age was 78 years, and mean age at onset was estimated at 72 years. Women subjects were significantly older: mean 79 years (women) versus 76 years (men) (t = −3.237; p = 0.001). Women were significantly more cognitively impaired (mean MMSE: 12/30 (women), 14/30 (men) (Mann-Whitney z = −2.269; p = 0.023) despite there being no meaningful difference in estimated duration of dementia: mean 5.6
DISCUSSION
Our results indicate that NPS are very common in patients in mid- and late-phase AD, despite high recorded rates of drug use (accepting that non-pharmacological treatment strategies were not assessed). These symptoms are frequent, severe, and cause significant distress for caregivers. The extent of neuropsychiatric symptomatology correlates with the degree of cognitive failure and loss of functional capabilities, and some symptoms are related to MMSE. Importantly, 80% of symptom domains
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Drs. Passmore and McIlroy are beneficiaries of an AD Society 3-year Project Grant. Dr. Craig is sponsored by an Ulster Garden Villages Research Grant and a British Geriatrics Society Senior Registrar Start-up Grant.