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The symptomatology of Alzheimer's disease: a cross‐cultural study
Author(s) -
Karim Salman,
Minhas Hassan M.,
Bhattacharya Sharmi,
Sein Kyaw,
Nayar Babu,
Morris Julie,
Nizami Asad,
Minhas Fareed,
Burns Alistair
Publication year - 2011
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.2544
Subject(s) - dementia , personality , geriatric depression scale , depression (economics) , cognition , personality changes , psychology , cognitive decline , mental health , memory clinic , psychiatry , clinical psychology , scale (ratio) , disease , gerontology , medicine , cognitive impairment , depressive symptoms , social psychology , pathology , economics , macroeconomics , physics , quantum mechanics
Objective This paper presents the results of a trans‐cultural study looking at the possible differences in the symptomatology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in people from Manchester, UK and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Methods Two groups of people with AD (45 in each group) were recruited at the two sites. The participants and their carers were interviewed to investigate possible differences in demographics and symptomatology including cognition, depression, personality change and every day activities. The instrument used included the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD), The Brooks and McKinlay Personality Inventory and Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQ CODE). Results The data analysis showed that compared to people from Manchester the Pakistanis had lower literacy levels but similar cognitive deficits when MMSE scores were adjusted for education. They were however more depressed; they had a different profile of personality change since the onset of illness and their reported changes in activities of daily living were more severe. Conclusion The study has shown a number of possible cultural differences in affective symptoms, personality changes and every day activities. It highlights the need for developing mental health services for older people in Pakistan and making UK services more accessible for this growing community. Further research on service and care needs along with developing culturally sensitive instruments for assessing cognition, psychiatric symptoms, personality changes and daily activities is needed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.