Behaviour changes in dementia. 1: Point of entry data of a prospective study.
OBJECTIVE
This article analyses behaviour changes in dementia at the point of entry to a longitudinal study.


METHODS
Prospective, longitudinal study of behaviour in dementia, with autopsy follow-up.


METHODS
Subjects with dementia, living at home with a carer. All lived in Oxfordshire, UK.


METHODS
Ninety-seven people with dementia (Alzheimer's disease and/or vascular dementia) who were living at home with a carer.


METHODS
At 4-monthly intervals, the carers were interviewed and the subjects with dementia were assessed cognitively. Subjects' behaviour was assessed using the Present Behavioural Examination. This is an investigator-based, semi-structured interview consisting of eight main sections covering many different aspects of behaviour. The 121 main questions, with 66 further 'nested' questions, have been shown to have high reliability.


RESULTS
This article analyses the types of behaviour change reported by carers at the point of entry to this long-term study. Few correlations were found between behaviour and age, gender and time since onset of dementia. Some types of behaviour were significantly more prevalent in those with greater cognitive impairment.


CONCLUSIONS
Many of these changes create problems for carers, for example increased aggressive behaviour, wandering, wakefulness at night, incontinence and persecutory ideas. In general, they are more prevalent in people with more severe dementia.
Hope
T
T
University of Oxford, Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, UK.
Keene
J
J
Gedling
K
K
Cooper
S
S
Fairburn
C
C
Jacoby
R
R
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000374:Aggression; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000145:classification*; D003072:Cognition Disorders; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010554:Personality Disorders; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014549:Urinary Incontinence