Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms according to Severity in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Our study investigated the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients with three groups (mild, moderate, severe) and prevalence of BPSD with the severity of AD. METHOD: In a study group of 338 patients with AD (mild184, moderate99, severe55), information on gender, age, education was collected. The severity of dementia was measured by the Korean version of mini-mental status examination (K-MMSE) and Clinical dementia rating (CDR). The Korean version of Neruopsychiatric Inventory (K-NPI) was administered to all patients. RESULTS: Depression/dysphoria, apathy/indifference, irritability/lability, anxiety were frequent in the mild AD group. Apathy/indifference, Depression/dysphoria, agitation/aggression, delusion were frequent in the moderate AD group. Apathy/indifference, agitation/aggression, aberrant motor behavior, nighttime behavior, anxiety were frequent in the severe AD group. CONCLUSION: These observations suggest that delusion was a more dominant symptom in moderate AD group and the prevalence of depression declined in severe AD group.