Undiagnosed illness and neuropsychiatric behaviors in community residing older adults with dementia.

ABSTRACT: The aim of this retrospective analysis was to examine prevalence of undiagnosed acute illness and characteristics including neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with illness in community residing older adults with Alzheimer disease or related disorders. Subjects included 265 community residing older adults with dementia who participated in 1 of 2 interventions being tested in randomized clinical trials. Measures included a brief nursing assessment and laboratory evaluations including complete blood count, blood chemistry (Chem 7), and thyroid function tests of serum samples and culture and sensitivity tests of urine samples. Undiagnosed illness was identified according to currently published criteria. Neuropsychiatric behaviors were assessed using 21 behaviors derived from standard measure

SUBMITTER: Hodgson NA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3035741 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature