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. 2018 Mar;33(2):93-99.
doi: 10.1177/1533317517744061. Epub 2017 Dec 6.

Neuropsychiatric Profile in Early Versus Late Onset Alzheimer's Disease

Maria do Céu Ferreira  1 , Maria João Abreu  2 , Célia Machado  3 , Beatriz Santos  1 , Álvaro Machado  3 , Ana Sofia Costa  3
Affiliations

Neuropsychiatric Profile in Early Versus Late Onset Alzheimer's Disease

Maria do Céu Ferreira et al. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen. 2018 Mar.

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in patients with early onset Alzheimer's disease (EAOD) and late onset AD (LOAD).

Methods: Patients were selected from a specialized memory outpatient clinic. The Mini-Mental State Examination, the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), and the Global Deterioration Scale results were analyzed.

Results: By comparing EOAD (n = 35) and LOAD (n = 35) patients, no significant differences were found in clinical or demographic variables, matched for sex, education, and disease severity. There were no differences between groups in total NPI frequency or severity scores. The most common NPS were irritability, apathy, anxiety, and depression. We found an association of NPI scores with disease severity and duration, which was more specific in patients with LOAD and was also associated with the presence of delusions and hallucinations.

Conclusion: Despite subtle differences, NPS is considered important in the assessment of patients with AD, regardless of the age of onset.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; early onset dementia; late onset dementia; neuropsychiatric symptoms.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Differences in NPI total frequency between patients with EOAD and LOAD. EOAD indicates early onset Alzheimer’s disease; LOAD, late onset Alzheimer’s disease; NPI, Neuropsychiatric Inventory.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Frequency in NPI domain in patients with EOAD and LOAD per disease severity. EOAD indicates early onset Alzheimer’s disease; LOAD, late onset Alzheimer’s disease; NPI, Neuropsychiatric Inventory.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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