Clinical correlates of unawareness of deficits among patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease.

BACKGROUND

To investigate the associations between unawareness of deficits and clinical correlates, including apathy and depression, among patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD).

METHODS

Fifty-five patients with AD were enrolled. Unawareness of memory deficits and psychosis or behavior problems was assessed. The Apathy Evaluation Scale informant version and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) were used to measure apathy and depression, respectively.

RESULTS

In all, 32 (57.2%) and 27 (49.1%) participants were identified as being unaware of memory deficits and psychosis or behavior problems, respectively. Unawareness of memory deficits was associated with lower scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and higher scores on the CSDD. Unawareness of psychosis or behavior problems was associated with lower scores on the MMSE.

CONCLUSION

Unawareness of deficits among patients with AD was common. The 2 domains of unawareness showed different characteristics and may possibly present different etiologies.