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

Abstract

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