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Neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia: cross‐sectional analysis from a prospective, longitudinal Belgian study
Author(s) -
Engelborghs Sebastiaan,
Maertens Karen,
Nagels Guy,
Vloeberghs Ellen,
Mariën Peter,
Symons Anoek,
Ketels Veerle,
Estercam Sven,
Somers Nore,
De Deyn Peter P.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.1395
Subject(s) - apathy , dementia , dementia with lewy bodies , psychiatry , psychology , frontotemporal dementia , neuropsychology , disinhibition , frontal lobe , alzheimer's disease , depression (economics) , geriatric depression scale , prospective cohort study , lewy body , medicine , disease , anxiety , cognition , economics , macroeconomics , depressive symptoms
Objective Given the rather limited knowledge on profiles of neuropsychiatric symptoms (behavioural and psychological signs and symptoms of dementia, BPSD) in several degenerative dementias, we designed a prospective study of which we here present the baseline data. Methods Diagnosed according to strictly applied clinical diagnostic criteria, patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) ( n = 205), frontotemporal dementia (FTD) ( n = 29), mixed dementia (MXD) ( n = 39) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) ( n = 23) were included. All patients underwent a neuropsychological examination and behavioural assessment by means of a battery of scales (Middelheim Frontality Score (MFS), Behave‐AD, Cohen‐Mansfield Agitation Inventory, Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia). Results In AD and MXD, activity disturbances and aggressiveness occurred in more than 80% of the patients. With a prevalence of 70%, apathy was very common whereas delusions and hallucinations were rare in FTD patients. Frequently used behavioural assessment scales like the Behave‐AD systematically underestimated BPSD in FTD whereas the MFS displayed high sensitivity for frontal lobe symptoms. Hallucinations discriminated DLB patients from other dementias. A high prevalence of disinhibition (65%) in DLB pointed to frontal lobe involvement. Conclusions Behavioural assessment may help differentiating between different forms of dementia, further stressing the need for the development of new and more sensitive behavioural assessment scales. By means of the MFS, frontal lobe involvement was frequently observed in DLB. As 70% of FTD patients displayed apathy, prevalence was about two times higher compared to the other disease groups, meanwhile indicating that apathy is frequently observed in dementia, irrespective of its etiology. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.