Affective and behavioral symptoms in African Americans with Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia

This study compared rates of behavioral symptoms in persons with vascular dementia (VaD) and with Alzheimer's disease (AD). As part of a case- control study of dementia in African Americans, behavioral symptoms were evaluated in 62 VaD and 86 AD participants with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the Rush Patient Behavior Checklist. Each measure was completed using a structured interview with a caregiver informant. After adjustment for age, gender, level of cognitive impairment, and informant relationship, persons with AD exhibited higher rates of psychomotor agitation and delusions. Interactions between diagnosis and level of cognitive impairment were found for psychomotor agitation and hallucinations; specifically, symptom frequency was associated with level of cognitive impairment in AD but not in VaD. Rates of depression, irritability, inappropriate actions, repetitive movements, and apathy were comparable between diagnostic groups. These data suggest modest differences in behavioral symptoms between these two common dementia syndromes.