title: Behavioral symptoms in community-dwelling elderly Nigerians with dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and normal cognition.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few studies have examined the neuropsychiatric status of patients with dementia and cognitive impairment in the developing world despite the fact that current demographic trends suggest an urgent need for such studies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the level of neuropsychiatric symptoms in community-dwelling individuals with dementia, cognitive impairment no dementia and normal cognition.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were from the Ibadan site of Indianapolis-Ibadan Dementia Project with stable diagnoses of normal cognition, cognitive impairment, no dementia/mild cognitive impairment (CIND/MCI), and dementia. Informants of subjects made ratings on the neuropsychiatric inventory and blessed dementia scale; subjects were tested with the mini mental state examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and eight subjects were included in the analytic sample, 21 were cognitively normal, 34 were demented, and 53 were CIND/MCI. The diagnostic groups did not differ in age, per cent female, or per cent with any formal education. The most frequent symptoms among subjects with CIND/MCI were depression (45.3%), apathy (37.7%), night time behavior (28.3%), appetite change (24.5%), irritability (22.6%), delusions (22.6%), anxiety (18.9%), and agitation (17.0%). Depression was significantly more frequent among the CIND/MCI and dementia (44.1%) groups compared with the normal cognition group (9.5%). Distress scores were highest for the dementia group, lowest for the normal cognition group, and intermediate for the CIND/MCI group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant neuropsychiatric symptomatology and distress are present among cognitively impaired persons in this community-based study of older adults in this sub-Saharan African country. Programs to assist family members of cognitively impaired and demented persons should be created or adapted for use in developing countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. baiyewuo@skannet.com
authors.forename: Olusegun
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Baiyewu
authors.forename: Fred W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Unverzagt
authors.forename: Adesola
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ogunniyi
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Smith-Gamble
authors.forename: Oye
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gureje
authors.forename: Kathleen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.forename: Sujuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Kathleen S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Hugh C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Hendrie
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology