[Agitation expressing pain in demented people with communication disorders].
Subjects with severe dementia can no longer clearly communicate verbally. In these subjects, pain, frequently experienced by aged subjects, can be expressed by behavioral disturbances, especially agitation, one of the most frequent psychobehavioral disorder in dementia. Occurrence of sudden agitation or aggressive behavior should be investigated in search of a painful disorder. Use of behavioral scales for pain assessment may be highly recommended as well as careful analysis of the circumstances of apparition of agitation, clinical examination and laboratory investigations. A empirical analgesic trial be useful to relate agitation to pain.
Pradines
Virginie
V
Centre hospitalier Les Murets, La Queue-en-Brie. vpradines@hotmail.com
Pradines
Bernard
B
D000368:Aged; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001143:Arousal; D003147:Communication Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*
D000700:Analgesics