Hallucinations, cognitive decline, and death in Alzheimer's disease.
The relation of psychotic symptoms to cognitive decline and mortality in Alzheimer's disease (AD) was examined during a mean of 2.2 years in 478 persons selected from clinical settings. Psychotic symptoms were ascertained at baseline and cognition was assessed semiannually with nine tests from which a global measure was formed. In analyses that controlled for age, sex, race, and education, hallucinations (29.6%), especially visual ones, were associated with more rapid global cognitive decline and increased mortality, even after controlling for baseline level of cognition and use of antipsychotic medication, and the association with mortality increased with higher level of education. Delusions and misperceptions were not strongly related to cognitive decline or mortality. The results suggest that hallucinations in Alzheimer's disease, particularly visual ones, are associated with more rapid progression.
Wilson
R S
RS
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush Institute for Healthy Aging, and Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. rwilson@rush.edu
Tang
Y
Y
Aggarwal
N T
NT
Gilley
D W
DW
McCann
J J
JJ
Bienias
J L
JL
Evans
D A
DA
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000523:psychology; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006212:Hallucinations; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D011618:Psychotic Disorders
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents