title: Neuropsychiatric Symptoms, Caregiver Burden and Distress in Behavioral-Variant Frontotemporal Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to compare caregiver burden and distress in behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to investigate which factors contribute to caregivers' burden and distress.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty patients and their caregivers were invited to participate. Among the patients, 20 had a diagnosis of bvFTD and 30 had AD. Caregivers and patients were statistically equivalent for age, sex, education and dementia severity according to Clinical Dementia Rating. The protocol included the Short Zarit Burden Inventory, the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD), the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD), Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised, the Executive Interview with 25 Items, Direct Assessment of Functional Status and the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the NPI, caregivers of bvFTD patients reported a higher presence and severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms and caregiver distress compared to caregivers of AD patients. There was no significant difference in the perceived burden. In bvFTD, DAD and GAI scores were significantly correlated with burden, whereas in AD, burden was correlated with CSDD and NPI scores. Psychiatric symptoms were associated with distress in both groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Caregivers of bvFTD patients experienced higher levels of distress than caregivers of AD patients. Patients' functional limitations were associated with burden of caregivers of bvFTD patients, whereas neuropsychiatric symptoms were associated with caregiver strain in both groups.
authors: Grupo de Pesquisa em Neurologia Cognitiva e do Comportamento, Universidade de Sx00E3;o Paulo, Sx00E3;o Paulo, Brazil.
authors: Thais Bento
authors: TB
authors: Lima-Silva
authors: Valéria Santoro
authors: VS
authors: Bahia
authors: Viviane Amaral
authors: VA
authors: Carvalho
authors: Henrique Cerqueira
authors: HC
authors: Guimarães
authors: Paulo
authors: P
authors: Caramelli
authors: Márcio Luiz
authors: ML
authors: Balthazar
authors: Benito
authors: B
authors: Damasceno
authors: Cássio Machado
authors: CM
authors: Bottino
authors: Sônia Maria
authors: SM
authors: Brucki
authors: Ricardo
authors: R
authors: Nitrini
authors: Mônica Sanches
authors: MS
authors: Yassuda
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D057180:Frontotemporal Dementia / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales