Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia: Factor analysis and relationship with cognitive impairment

Background/Aims: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) affect almost all people with dementia at some stage during the progression of disease. The current study aimed at replicating previous findings on BPSD clustering in behavioral sub-syndromes. Methods: One hundred and sixty-six consecutive outpatients with dementia attending a dementia outpatient clinic were enrolled and evaluated with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory and the Mini Mental State Examination. Results: BPSD were reported in 157 patients included in the final sample: 140 patients (89.17%) had Alzheimer's disease (AD), while 17 patients had frontotemporal dementia or vascular dementia. The most frequent BPSD were depression in the whole sample and irritability in the AD subgroup. The severity of cognitive impairment was predicted by two BPSD in the whole sample (apathy and motor disturbance) and only by nighttime behavior in the AD subgroup. Factor analyses identified 4 factors, accounting for about 60% of variance in the whole group and in the AD subgroup of patients. Conclusions: The current study confirmed findings of previous studies on BPSD clustering, regarding the number of BPSD clusters and the total variance explained. This study has some limitations, including the small number of non-ADs and its monocentric character. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.