Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Point and 5-year period prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia: the Cache County Study.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Steinberg, M; Shao, H; Zandi, P; Lyketsos, CG; Welsh-Bohmer, KA; Norton, MC; Breitner, JCS; Steffens, DC; Tschanz, JT; Cache County Investigators
Published in: Int J Geriatr Psychiatry
February 2008

BACKGROUND: Neuropsychiatric symptoms are nearly universal in dementia, yet little is known about their longitudinal course in the community. OBJECTIVE: To estimate point and 5-year period prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in an incident sample of 408 dementia participants from the Cache County Study. METHODS: The Neuropsychiatric Inventory assessed symptoms at baseline and at 1.5 years, 3.0 years, 4.1 years, and 5.3 years. Point prevalence, period prevalence and mean symptom severity at each time point were estimated. RESULTS: Point prevalence for delusions was 18% at baseline and 34-38% during the last three visits; hallucinations, 10% at baseline and 19-24% subsequently; agitation/aggression fluctuated between 13% and 24%; depression 29% at baseline and 41-47% subsequently; apathy increased from 20% at baseline to 51% at 5.3 years; elation never rose above 1%; anxiety 14% at baseline and 24-32% subsequently; disinhibition fluctuated between 2% and 15%; irritability between 17% and 27%; aberrant motor behavior gradually increased from 7% at baseline to 29% at 5.3 years. Point prevalence for any symptom was 56% at baseline and 76-87% subsequently. Five-year period prevalence was greatest for depression (77%), apathy (71%), and anxiety (62%); lowest for elation (6%), and disinhibition (31%). Ninety-seven percent experienced at least one symptom. Symptom severity was consistently highest for apathy. CONCLUSIONS: Participants were most likely to develop depression, apathy, or anxiety, and least likely to develop elation or disinhibition. Give converging evidence that syndromal definitions may more accurately capture neuropsychiatric co-morbidity in dementia, future efforts to validate such syndromes are warranted.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

Int J Geriatr Psychiatry

DOI

ISSN

0885-6230

Publication Date

February 2008

Volume

23

Issue

2

Start / End Page

170 / 177

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Psychomotor Agitation
  • Prevalence
  • Mental Status Schedule
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Irritable Mood
  • Incidence
  • Humans
  • Hallucinations
  • Geriatrics
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Steinberg, M., Shao, H., Zandi, P., Lyketsos, C. G., Welsh-Bohmer, K. A., Norton, M. C., … Cache County Investigators. (2008). Point and 5-year period prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia: the Cache County Study. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry, 23(2), 170–177. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.1858
Steinberg, Martin, Huibo Shao, Peter Zandi, Constantine G. Lyketsos, Kathleen A. Welsh-Bohmer, Maria C. Norton, John C. S. Breitner, David C. Steffens, Joann T. Tschanz, and Cache County Investigators. “Point and 5-year period prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia: the Cache County Study.Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 23, no. 2 (February 2008): 170–77. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.1858.
Steinberg M, Shao H, Zandi P, Lyketsos CG, Welsh-Bohmer KA, Norton MC, et al. Point and 5-year period prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia: the Cache County Study. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008 Feb;23(2):170–7.
Steinberg, Martin, et al. “Point and 5-year period prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia: the Cache County Study.Int J Geriatr Psychiatry, vol. 23, no. 2, Feb. 2008, pp. 170–77. Pubmed, doi:10.1002/gps.1858.
Steinberg M, Shao H, Zandi P, Lyketsos CG, Welsh-Bohmer KA, Norton MC, Breitner JCS, Steffens DC, Tschanz JT, Cache County Investigators. Point and 5-year period prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia: the Cache County Study. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008 Feb;23(2):170–177.
Journal cover image

Published In

Int J Geriatr Psychiatry

DOI

ISSN

0885-6230

Publication Date

February 2008

Volume

23

Issue

2

Start / End Page

170 / 177

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Psychomotor Agitation
  • Prevalence
  • Mental Status Schedule
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Irritable Mood
  • Incidence
  • Humans
  • Hallucinations
  • Geriatrics