title: Neuropsychiatric symptoms in Parkinson's disease dementia are associated with increased caregiver burden.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Neuropsychiatric symptoms are common in Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD). Frequent and severe neuropsychiatric symptoms create high levels of distress for patients and caregivers, decreasing their quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate neuropsychiatric symptoms that may contribute to increased caregiver burden in PDD patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-eight PDD patients were assessed using the 12-item Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) to determine the frequency and severity of mental and behavioral problems. The Burden Interview and Caregiver Burden Inventory were used to evaluate caregiver burden.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All but one patient showed one or more neuropsychiatric symptoms. The three most frequent neuropsychiatric symptoms were apathy (70.8%) and anxiety (70.8%), followed by depression (68.7%). More severe neuropsychiatric symptoms were significantly correlated with increased caregiver burden. The domains of delusion, hallucination, agitation and aggression, anxiety, irritability and lability, and aberrant motor behavior were associated with caregiver stress. After controlling for age and other potential confounding variables, total NPI score was significantly associated with caregiver burden.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study confirm that neuropsychiatric symptoms are frequent and severe in patients with PDD and are associated with increased caregiver distress. A detailed evaluation and management of neuropsychiatric symptoms in PDD patients appears necessary to improve patient quality of life and reduce caregiver burden.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon-Sang
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Phil Hyu
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Joong-Seok
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Caregiver burden; Dementia; Motor symptoms; Neuropsychiatric symptoms; Parkinson’s disease