title: Does religiosity protect against cognitive and behavioral decline in Alzheimer's dementia?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  several studies have shown that religiosity has beneficial effects on health, mortality and pathological conditions; little is known about religiosity in Alzheimer's disease and the progression of its cognitive, behavioral and functional symptoms. Our aim was to identify any relationship between religiosity and the progression of cognitive impairment and behavioral disorders in mild-moderate Alzheimer's disease, and any relationship between the patient's religiosity and the stress in caregivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  64 patients with Alzheimer's disease were analyzed at baseline and 12 months later using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Behavioral Religiosity Scale (BRS) and the Francis Short Scale (FSS). Caregivers were also questioned on the patient's functional abilities (ADL, IADL), the behavioral disturbances (NPI), and on their stress (NPI-D, CBI). Patients were divided into 2 groups according to BRS: a score of <24 meant no or low religiosity (LR), while a score of > or =24 meant moderate or high religiosity (HR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  LR patients had worsened more markedly after 12 months in their total cognitive and behavioral test scores. Stress was also significantly higher in the caregivers of the LR group. Global BRS and FSS scores correlated significantly with variations after 1 year in the MMSE (r: 0.50), NPI (r:-0.51), NPI-D (r:-0.55) and CBI (r:-0.62). A low religiosity coincided with a higher risk of cognitive impairment, considered as a 3-point decrease in MMSE score (OR 6.7, CI: 1.8-24.7).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  higher levels of religiosity in Alzheimer's dementia seem to correlate with a slower cognitive and behavioral decline, with a corresponding significant reduction of the caregiver's burden.
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Clinics, Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences, University of Padova. Italy. alessandra.coin@unipd.it
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coin
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Perissinotto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Najjar
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Girardi
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Inelmen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Enzi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Manzato
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sergi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012067:Religion; D012069:Religion and Psychology