Neuropsychiatric symptoms in mild cognitive impairment: An analysis and its impact on caregiving

Abstract

Background:Neuropsychiatric impairments play a significant role throughout the course of cognitive decline. Many psychological and behavioral symptoms are present in patients of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) similar to that seen in individuals with dementia.Aims and Objectives:To study the relevance of neuropsychiatric symptoms of MCI and the impact it has on caregivers of these patients.Materials and Methods:This cross-sectional study was done on 90 patients (30 MCI, 30 dementia and 30 controls) above the age of 50 years. The scales used were Hindi–Mental Status Examination, Global deterioration scale and Neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI). Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 16 software.Results:73.33% (22) of the subjects in MCI group, 90% (27) of subjects in dementia group and 53.33% (16) of subjects having normal cognition had neuropsychiatric complaints. 73.33% (22) relatives of subjects in the MCI group, 90% (27) relatives of subjects in dementia group and 46.67% (14) relatives of subjects in the normal group (i.e. control group) experienced some distress. The differences in the mean NPI severity, frequency, distress and total scores of the three groups were statistically significant. Severity and frequency of neuropsychiatric symptoms significantly predicted the caregiver's distress.Conclusions:Neuropsychiatric symptoms increase both in frequency and severity with increasing cognitive decline, and they cause distress both to the patient as well as the caregiver; and hence their early recognition is a must. The NPI appears to be a useful tool in that regard.

Cognitive and neuroanatomical correlates of neuropsychiatric symptoms in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review

“…These studies also reported that MCI patients with behavioural disturbances are more likely to develop AD than patients without these features. Furthermore, Trivedi et al [123] reported that neuropsychiatric symptoms (as measured by the NPI) were significantly more severe and frequent in patients with MCI than in healthy participants, and demented patients had significantly more neuropsychiatric problems than MCI and healthy groups. Other studies have shown that there was a negative association between frequency of neuropsychiatric symptoms and MMSE scores in patients with MCI [120,122].…”

Factors Associated with Family Caregiver Dissatisfaction with Acute Hospital Care of Older Cognitively Impaired Relatives

“…Caregivers frequently report that communication with ward staff is inadequate . Behavioral disturbance in patients has long been associated with poor psychological health in caregivers . Quality of care, behavioral disturbance, caregiver strain, and dissatisfaction are likely to have a complex interrelationship.…”

Progressive Behavioral Impairment in Patients of Mild Cognitive Impairment

“…Our finding corroborates observation of another study done using NPI which found distress caused by neuropsychiatric symptoms is significantly more in caregivers of MCI than HC group. [20] As per Engelborghs et al classification of BEHAVE-AD scores, MCI group had mild behavioral symptoms whereas HC group has none. Study by S. Van der Mussele et al [21] observed the prevalence and severity of frontal lobe symptoms, physical and verbal aggressiveness, activity disturbances, and delusions were intermediate between normal aging and AD in their comparative study of MCI, AD and normal subjects.…”