title: The profile of behavioral and psychological symptoms in vascular cognitive impairment with and without dementia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to compare the occurrence and severity of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) between vascular dementia (VaD) and vascular cognitive impairment-no dementia (VCI-ND).
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive patients presenting with cognitive impairment at least 3 months after an ischemic stroke and with a Hachinski Ischemic Score ≥4 were included. VaD was diagnosed as per National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - Association Internationale pour la Recherche et l'Enseignement en Neurosciences criteria for probable VaD and VCI-ND on the lines of the Canadian study of health and aging. The severity of cognitive impairment and the behavioral/psychological symptoms were studied by means of the clinical dementia rating scale and the neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI) respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients with VaD and 89% of those with VCI-ND had at least one BPSD. The mean no. of symptoms per patient and the total NPI scores were higher in VaD than in VCI-ND. Apathy and night-time behavior disturbances were significantly more common and severe in VaD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BPSD are very common both in VCI-ND and in VaD. The profile of BPSD is similar in both groups, albeit more severe in VaD. The net burden of BPSD is higher in VaD as compared to VCI-ND.
authors: Department of Neurology, GB Pant Hospital, New Delhi, India.
authors: Meena
authors: M
authors: Gupta
authors: Abhijit
authors: A
authors: Dasgupta
authors: Geeta Anjum
authors: GA
authors: Khwaja
authors: Debashish
authors: D
authors: Chowdhury
authors: Yogesh
authors: Y
authors: Patidar
authors: Amit
authors: A
authors: Batra
keywords: Behavioral and psychological symptoms; neuropsychiatric inventory; vascular cognitive impairment; vascular cognitive impairment-no dementia; vascular dementia