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Neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological correlates of delusions in Alzheimer's disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

R. Migliorelli ,
G. Petracca ,
A. Tesón ,
L. Sabe ,
R. Leiguarda  and
S. E. Starkstein
R. Migliorelli
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, Raúl Carrea Institute of Neurological Research, Buenos Aires, Argentina
G. Petracca
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, Raúl Carrea Institute of Neurological Research, Buenos Aires, Argentina
A. Tesón
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, Raúl Carrea Institute of Neurological Research, Buenos Aires, Argentina
L. Sabe
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, Raúl Carrea Institute of Neurological Research, Buenos Aires, Argentina
R. Leiguarda
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, Raúl Carrea Institute of Neurological Research, Buenos Aires, Argentina
S. E. Starkstein*
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, Raúl Carrea Institute of Neurological Research, Buenos Aires, Argentina
*
1 Address for correspondence: Dr Sergio E. Starkstein, Instituto de Investigaciones Neurológicas Raúl Carrea, Fleni, Montaneses 2325, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Synopsis

We examined the prevalence, phenomenology, and clinical correlates of delusions in a consecutive series of 103 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD). Patients were examined with the Present State Exam and the Dementia–Psychosis Scale. Twenty-one patients (20%) met DSM-III-R criteria for a delusional disorder. The most frequent delusion type was paranoid (71%), followed by hypochondriacal (67%), the Capgras syndrome (29%), house misidentification (29%), and grandiose delusions (29%). Out of the 21 AD patients with delusions, 76% had three or more different types of delusions simultaneously. The frequency of delusions was not significantly associated with age, education, or age at dementia onset, and the type and severity of cognitive impairments was similar for AD patients with and without delusions. However, AD patients with delusions had significantly higher mania and anosognosia scores.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 25 , Issue 3 , May 1995 , pp. 505 - 513
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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