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Potentially modifiable factors associated with agitation and aggression in Alzheimer’s disease: results of the ICTUS study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 February 2019

Adelaide de Mauleon ,
Maria Soto ,
Pierre Jean Ousset ,
Fati Nourhashemi ,
Benoit Lepage  and
Bruno Vellas
Adelaide de Mauleon*
Affiliation:
Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Clinical Center, Gérontopôle, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
Maria Soto
Affiliation:
Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Clinical Center, Gérontopôle, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
Pierre Jean Ousset
Affiliation:
Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Clinical Center, Gérontopôle, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
Fati Nourhashemi
Affiliation:
Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Clinical Center, Gérontopôle, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
Benoit Lepage
Affiliation:
Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Clinical Center, Gérontopôle, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France Department of Epidemiology, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
Bruno Vellas
Affiliation:
Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Clinical Center, Gérontopôle, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: A. de Mauleon, Gérontopôle de Toulouse, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Toulouse University Hospital, Garonne Hospital, 224, avenue de Casselardit, 31059 Toulouse, Cedex 9, France. Phone: 33.5.61.77.64.26; Fax: 33.5.61.77.64.78. Email: demauleon.a@chu-toulouse.fr.
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Abstract

Objectives:

To study potentially modifiable factors associated with the severity of agitation or aggression (A/A) symptoms among Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients.

Design:

Data from the Impact of Cholinergic Treatment Use (ICTUS) study, European longitudinal prospective observational study.

Setting:

Community dwelling outpatients included in 29 European memory clinics.

Participants:

1375 participants with probable AD (Mini-Mental State Examination score of 10–26) with an informal caregiver.

Measurements:

At baseline and twice yearly over the two-year follow-up, patients underwent comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological assessments: sociodemographic data, cognitive status, functional impairment, and assessment of neuropsychiatric symptoms based on Neuro-Psychiatric Inventory (NPI). The ZARIT scale assessed the caregiver’s burden. The variable of interest was the severity of the item of A/A of the NPI. To study factors associated to the severity of A/A symptoms six months later, a multivariate mixed regression model was used.

Results:

Frequency of A/A symptom varied from 30% to 34% at each visit. Two factors were found to be independently associated with the severity of A/A: (1) the presence of affective disorder (anxiety, depression, and/or irritability) that increased the severity of the A/A by 0.89 point (coefficient:0.89; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = [0.48,1.30], p < 0.001), and (2) a severe caregiver burden that increased the severity of the A/A by 1.08 point (coefficient:1.08; 95% CI = [0.69,1.47], p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Research should evaluate whether the identification and treatment of an affective disorder along with the evaluation and optimal management of the caregiver would have a positive impact on the course of A/A in mild to moderate AD patients.

Keywords

dementiaAlzheimer’s diseasefactors associatedagitation/aggressionaffective disordercaregiver burdenneuro-psychiatric symptomsmanagementbehavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia
Type
Original Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 31 , Issue 10: Issue Theme: Dementia and the Society , October 2019 , pp. 1509 - 1516
Copyright
© International Psychogeriatric Association 2019 

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