The profile of behavioral and psychological symptoms in vascular cognitive impairment with and without dementia

• Main Authors: Meena Gupta, Abhijit Dasgupta, Geeta Anjum Khwaja, Debashish Chowdhury, Yogesh Patidar, Amit Batra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2013-01-01
• Series: Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology
• Subjects: Behavioral and psychological symptoms; neuropsychiatric inventory; vascular cognitive impairment; vascular cognitive impairment-no dementia; vascular dementia
• Online Access: http://www.annalsofian.org/article.asp?issn=0972-2327;year=2013;volume=16;issue=4;spage=599;epage=602;aulast=Gupta
• ISSN: 0972-2327; 1998-3549

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). Materials and 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.