Sex Differences in the Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Patients With Alzheimer’s Disease

• Published in: American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias 2018-11, Vol.33 (7), p.450-457
• Main Authors: Tao, Ye, Peters, Matthew E., Drye, Lea T., Devanand, Davangere P., Mintzer, Jacobo E., Pollock, Bruce G., Porsteinsson, Anton P., Rosenberg, Paul B., Schneider, Lon S., Shade, David M., Weintraub, Daniel, Yesavage, Jerome, Lyketsos, Constantine G., Munro, Cynthia A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Alzheimer Disease - complications; Alzheimer Disease - drug therapy; Behavioral Symptoms - psychology; Citalopram - therapeutic use; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Male; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales - statistics & numerical data; Psychomotor Agitation - drug therapy; Psychomotor Agitation - epidemiology; Psychomotor Agitation - etiology; Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Severity of Illness Index; Sex Factors
• ISSN: 1533-3175; 1938-2731
• DOI: 10.1177/1533317518783278

The aim of this study was to describe sex differences in neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Baseline scores on the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory, Neurobehavioral Rating Scale–Agitation subscale, and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory from patients with AD enrolled in a multicenter trial of citalopram for the treatment of agitation were analyzed. We found not only that patients with AD having agitation were likely to exhibit many other NPSs but also that the women in this study were more likely to exhibit a broader range of NPS than were the men. These results suggest greater heterogeneity in the clinical presentation of women compared to men, and thus in the potential targets for treatment in these patients. Further characterization of sex differences in NPS can inform future efforts aimed at establishing subtypes of patients for whom various treatment approaches will be most appropriate.