Acute Psychogeriatric Inpatient Treatment Improves Neuropsychiatric Symptoms but Impairs the Level of Functioning in Patients with Dementia

Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders
Hanna-Mari AlanenEsa Leinonen

Abstract

To explore the impact of hospitalization on neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) and the level of functioning in patients with dementia. Our aim was also to study the influence of psychotropic medications. Behavioral disturbances, cognition and functional status of 89 patients were assessed using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), Mini-Mental State Examination, Barthel Index, and Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study-Activities of Daily Living (ADCSADL). The total NPI score decreased from 34.6 to 19.5 (p < 0.001), and ADL decreased from 32.2 to 21.7 (p < 0.001) during the hospital stay (mean of 44 days). For a change in ADL, only the effect of anxiolytics was significant (p = 0.045). For a change in NPI with antipsychotic and anxiolytic doses and Mini-Mental State Examination as covariates, no significant relationship was found. NPS improved significantly during hospitalization, but neither antipsychotic nor anxiolytic medication use explained this improvement. In patients using anxiolytics, the functional decline was substantial. These results do not support anxiolytic use in demented patients with NPS.

Citations

Apr 14, 2020·Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy·Tomoyuki NagataMasaru Mimura
Aug 6, 2020·The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry : Official Journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry·Marie H GeddeLine I Berge

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