Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022;87(3):1307-1318.
doi: 10.3233/JAD-215198.

Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia in Different Dementia Disorders: A Large-Scale Study of 10,000 Individuals

Emilia Schwertner  1 , Joana B Pereira  1   2 , Hong Xu  1 , Juraj Secnik  1 , Bengt Winblad  3   4 , Maria Eriksdotter  1   4 , Katarina Nägga  2   5 , Dorota Religa  1   4
Affiliations

Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia in Different Dementia Disorders: A Large-Scale Study of 10,000 Individuals

Emilia Schwertner et al. J Alzheimers Dis. 2022.

Abstract

Background: The majority of individuals with dementia will suffer from behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). These symptoms contribute to functional impairment and caregiver burden.

Objective: To characterize BPSD in Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), mixed (Mixed) dementia, Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and unspecified dementia in individuals residing in long-term care facilities.

Methods: We included 10,405 individuals with dementia living in long-term care facilities from the Swedish registry for cognitive/dementia disorders (SveDem) and the Swedish BPSD registry. BPSD was assessed with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory - Nursing Home Version (NPI-NH). Multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations between dementia diagnoses and different BPSDs.

Results: The most common symptoms were aberrant motor behavior, agitation, and irritability. Compared to AD, we found a lower risk of delusions (in FTD, unspecified dementia), hallucinations (FTD), agitation (VaD, PDD, unspecified dementia), elation/euphoria (DLB), anxiety (Mixed, VaD, unspecified dementia), disinhibition (in PDD), irritability (in DLB, FTD, unspecified dementia), aberrant motor behavior (Mixed, VaD, unspecified dementia), and sleep and night-time behavior changes (unspecified dementia). Higher risk of delusions (DLB), hallucinations (DLB, PDD), apathy (VaD, FTD), disinhibition (FTD), and appetite and eating abnormalities (FTD) were also found in comparison to AD.

Conclusion: Although individuals in our sample were diagnosed with different dementia disorders, they all exhibited aberrant motor behavior, agitation, and irritability. This suggests common underlying psychosocial or biological mechanisms. We recommend prioritizing these symptoms while planning interventions in long-term care facilities.

Keywords: Aberrant motor behavior; Alzheimer’s disease; Neuropsychiatric Inventory; aging; agitation; behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia; behavioral problem; dementia; irritability; nursing homes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Authors’ disclosures available online (https://www.j-alz.com/manuscript-disclosures/21-5198r2).

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Frequency of clinically significant BPSD across different dementia diagnoses.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Psychiatric Associa (2013) American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), Arlington, VA.
    1. Okabe K, Nagata T, Shinagawa S, Inamura K, Tagai K, Nukariya K, Shigeta M (2020) Effects of neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia on reductions in activities of daily living in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Geriatr Gerontol Int 20, 584–588. - PubMed
    1. Moheb N, Mendez MF, Kremen SA, Teng E (2017) Executive dysfunction and behavioral symptoms are associated with deficits in instrumental activities of daily living in frontotemporal dementia. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 43, 89–99. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Baharudin AD, Din NC, Subramaniam P, Razali R (2019) The associations between behavioral-psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and coping strategy, burden of care and personality style among low-income caregivers of patients with dementia. BMC Public Health 19, 447. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cerejeira J, Lagarto L, Mukaetova-Ladinska EB (2012) Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Front Neurol 3, 73. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms