title: Neuropsychiatric symptoms in mild dementia with lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies(DLB).
  
  
  METHODS
  Neuropsychiatric symptoms and caregiver distress were assessed using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) in mild DLB (n = 57) and AD (n = 126), and compared across the two groups using non-parametric tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The DLB patients had a higher NPI totalscore (median 24 vs. 11.5, p < 0.005), more numerous symptoms (median 5 vs. 4, p = 0.001) and more clinically significant symptoms (3 vs. 1, p = 0.001). They also had higher item hallucinations (6 vs. 2, p < 0.005) and apathy (7 vs. 5, p = 0.002) subscores. Caregivers scored higher on the NPI total caregiver distress scale (12.5 vs. 6, p = 0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In mild dementia, DLB patients have more neuropsychiatric symptoms and more associated caregiver distress compared with AD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Centre for Age-Related Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bjoerke-Bertheussen
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ehrt
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rongve
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ballard
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aarsland
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D003702:Delusions / Q000523:psychology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D020961:Lewy Body Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology