Clinical Manifestations

People with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) often have neuropsychiatric symptoms. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) is a validated tool for assessing the severity of these symptoms, but its applicability in a South African context remains unexamined. This study evaluated NPI-Q, a brief version of t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Alzheimer's & dementia 2024-12, Vol.20 Suppl 3, p.e092788
Main Authors: Gao, Sarah, Bassil, Darina T, Farrell, Meagan T, Wagner, Ryan G, Manly, Jennifer J, Brickman, Adam M, Tollman, Stephen, Berkman, Lisa F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Alzheimer Disease
Atrophy - pathology
Brain - diagnostic imaging
Brain - pathology
Cognition - physiology
Cohort Studies
Female
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests - statistics & numerical data
Severity of Illness Index
South Africa
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Summary:People with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) often have neuropsychiatric symptoms. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) is a validated tool for assessing the severity of these symptoms, but its applicability in a South African context remains unexamined. This study evaluated NPI-Q, a brief version of the NPI, in relation to cognitive performance and markers of brain atrophy and emotional regulation among older South African adults. Data were from Cognition and Dementia in the Health and Aging in Africa: A Longitudinal Study in South Africa (HAALSI-HCAP), a population-based nested cohort study in Agincourt, South Africa. The survey included a cognitive battery, clinical examination, and informant interview to assess perceived cognitive and functional changes in respondents. During the informant interview, the NPI-Q was completed, and a severity score was derived from the cumulative sum of reported individual symptom scores (range: 0-36). The final sample included 626 participants (71.9±11.3 years-old, 35.6% men, 56.6% without formal education), of whom 185 underwent MRI scans. Pairwise correlations assessed the relationship between informant reported symptom severity with cognitive measures and MRI-generated bilateral amygdala volume. A total of 95 informants (15.2%) reported any neuropsychiatric symptoms, averaging 2.48 per participant among those who reported any symptom. Hallucinations were the most common symptom (5.4%), while disinhibition was the least (1%). Among those who reported symptoms, average symptom severity score was 4.28 (SD: 3.65). Severity was significantly correlated (p-value
ISSN:1552-5279
1552-5279
DOI:10.1002/alz.092788