IngentaConnect Early behavioral symptoms and course of Alzheimer's disease

Authors: Weiner, M. F.; Hynan, L. S.; Bret, M. E.¹; White, C.²

Source: Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, Volume 111, Number 5, May 2005 , pp. 367-371(5)

Abstract:

Weiner MF, Hynan LS, Bret ME, White C. Early behavioral symptoms and course of Alzheimer's disease.

Acta Psychiatr Scand 2005: 1–5. ©Blackwell Munksgaard 2005. Objective:

To determine if behavioral symptoms detected at initial evaluation relate to cognitive or functional status or survival time in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Method:

Review, in 100 cases of autopsy-proven AD, of the relationship of behavioral symptoms detected at initial evaluation to cognitive and global function measures and survival time. Results:

Behavioral symptoms had occurred in 74% of patients, including apathy (51%), hallucinations (25%), delusions (20%) and depressed mood (6.6%). Verbal aggression was common (36.8%); physical aggression less so (17%). The symptomatic group was more functionally (but not cognitively) impaired and had shorter median survival time (8 years: 95% CI: 7–9 years vs. 10 years: 95% CI: 8–12 years; P = 0.002) than the asymptomatic group. The presence of any one symptom at initial evaluation accounted for 6.1% of the variance in duration of illness. Conclusion:

Presence of behavioral symptoms at initial evaluation of AD patients is associated with greater functional impairment and shorter survival time.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; behavioral symptoms; function; survival

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2004.00472.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Psychiatry 2: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA

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