scholarly journals Shen-Zhi-Ling Oral Liquid Improves Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia in Alzheimer’s Disease

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weidong Pan ◽  
Qiudong Wang ◽  
Shin Kwak ◽  
Yu Song ◽  
Baofeng Qin ◽  
...  

We evaluated the effects of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Shen-Zhi-Ling oral liquid (SZL) on the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Among 98 patients with AD and BPSD enrolled (mean age, 57.2 ± 8.9 years old), 91 (M = 55,F = 36; mean age, 57.2 ± 9.7 years old) completed the study. Patients took either SZL (n=45) or placebo granules (n=46) in a double-blind manner for 20 weeks while maintaining other anticognitive medications unchanged. Changes in BPSD between week 0, week 10, week 20, and week 25 were assessed using the behavioral pathology in Alzheimer’s disease (BEHAVE-AD) rating scale and the neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI), detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) represented by diurnal activity (DA), evening activity (EA), and nocturnal activity (NA) according to actigraphic recordings. SZL but not placebo oral liquid delayed the development of BPSD significantly according to the changes in some of the clinical scores and the EA and NA parameters of DFA at week 20 compared with week 0. No side effects were observed in laboratory tests. The results indicate that SZL might delay the development of BPSD in AD patients and thus is a potentially suitable drug for long-term use.

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 1134-1141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting-Wen Cheng ◽  
Ta-Fu Chen ◽  
Ping-Keung Yip ◽  
Mau-Sun Hua ◽  
Chi-Cheng Yang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBackground: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) cause caregiver distress and earlier institutionalization. We compared the prevalence and characteristics of BPSD between institution residents and memory clinic outpatients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) to test the hypothesis that there is more BPSD among institution residents than among their outpatient counterparts.Methods: We assessed BPSD by interviewing the patients’ principal caregivers, either family or professionals, using the Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale (BEHAVE-AD). Data from 138 patients with probable AD from the memory clinic and 173 residents with possible AD living in the long-term care facilities were collected. The diagnoses followed the NINCDS-ADRDA criteria.Results: BPSD profiles of the two groups were similar but not identical. The prevalence of at least one BPSD was high in both groups (community 81.9%, institution 74.9%). Activity disturbance was the most frequently reported BPSD in both groups (community 52.2%, institution 38.7%). Delusions, hallucinations, anxiety and aggressiveness were seen more frequently in memory clinic outpatients. The outpatients also had higher scores of BEHAVE-AD subscales in delusion/paranoid ideation, affective disturbance, and global rating of severity. With the increase of disease severity there were significantly more activity disturbance, psychosis, and aggressiveness in patients with AD.Conclusions: Caregiver factor and institution effect were two possible reasons for the higher prevalence and the greater severity of BPSD in community patients. BPSD caused more distress to family caregivers than the professional caregivers. High levels of psychotropic prescriptions for patients living in the long-term care facilities may also play a role.


2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajit Shah ◽  
Nalini Ellanchenny ◽  
Guk-Hee Suh

Background: There is a paucity of cross-cultural studies of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD).Method: BPSD were examined in consecutive series of referrals to a psychogeriatric service in Korea and the U.K. using the Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease (BEHAVE-AD) rating scale and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD). Results were analyzed separately for Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.Results: Koreans in both diagnostic groups had lower Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) scores and higher BEHAVE-AD total and subscale scores for most subscales. In both countries, for both diagnostic groups, the total BEHAVE-AD score and several subscale scores were negatively correlated with the MMSE scores. Logistic regression analysis for Alzheimer's disease revealed that BEHAVE-AD total and most subscale scores independently predicted the country of origin in addition to the MMSE scores predicting the same.Conclusions: These differences in BPSD are most likely explained by the lower MMSE scores in the Korean sample. However, genuine differences in BPSD between the two countries can only be critically examined in a cross-cultural population-based epidemiological study for both diagnostic categories using validated instruments to measure BPSD and controlling for the influence of MMSE score.


2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Pinto ◽  
R. Seethalakshmi

Background: Differential patterns of brain lesions in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or vascular dementia (VaD) can result in differing clinical courses and presentations.Method: Thirty patients with AD were compared with 29 patients with VaD for differences in behavioral symptoms using the Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease (BEHAV-AD) rating scale.Results: Patients with AD had significantly more delusions, hallucinations, anxieties and phobias and caregiver distress than patients with VaD.Conclusions: Behavioral symptoms in both AD and VaD exhibit specific longitudinal patterns. An understanding of the pattern can aid the treating physician in giving appropriate advice to caregivers regarding the course of the illness and also help them in planning appropriate interventions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eiichi Katsumoto ◽  
Toru Ishida ◽  
Kenji Kinoshita ◽  
Miho Shimizu ◽  
Toshihito Tsutsumi ◽  
...  

Yokukansankachimpihange is a Japanese herbal medicine reported to benefit anxiety and sleep disorders, and it has recently been introduced to treat behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. There are no multicenter studies of its effectiveness regarding dementia in Japan, and this study's main objective was to clarify the effects of Yokukansankachimpihange on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in a sample of patients from multiple healthcare centers. Nine facilities affiliated with Osaka Association of Psychiatric Clinics participated in November 2013 through April 2015 and provided 32 Alzheimer's disease patients to whom Yokukansankachimpihange was orally administered for 8 weeks. During the study, the patients continued their regular medication regimens. Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale [Behave-AD]), core symptoms [Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)], activities of daily living [Nishimura Activity of Daily Living Scale (N-ADL)], and gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea/vomiting, loss of appetite, gastric discomfort, constipation, and diarrhea) were measured at baseline, after 4 weeks of treatment and after 8 weeks of treatment. Yokukansankachimpihange was orally administered at a dosage of 7.5 g twice daily before or between meals for 8 weeks. The Behave-AD mean score significantly improved after 8 weeks of treatment. There were no significant changes in MMSE, N-ADL, or gastrointestinal symptoms; however, decreased gastrointestinal scores were observed after 8 weeks. There were no side effects related to Yokukansankachinpihange. Pharmaceutical treatments are important for treating behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, and this study confirmed Yokukansankachimpihange's efficacy for treating Alzheimer's disease. Because the aggressiveness and sleep disorder components of the Behave-AD construct were the symptoms most improved and those symptoms are known to significantly burden dementia patients' caregivers, Yokukansankachimpihange's efficacy might indirectly relieve these caregivers' burden of care.


2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 605-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Yih Liu ◽  
Pei-Ning Wang ◽  
Ker-Neng Lin ◽  
Hsiu-Chih Liu

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for behavioral and psychological symptoms in Taiwanese Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients.Method: Consecutive AD patients from the Memory Clinic of the Taipei Veterans General Hospital were studied. Cognitive function was evaluated using the Chinese version of the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument. Primary caregivers were interviewed for the Clinical Dementia Rating scale, the Barthel Index, and the Alzheimer's Deficit Scale. Behavioral and psychological symptoms were assessed using the Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale.Results: Of the 142 participants, 73 (50.7%) had at least one delusion. The most frequent delusion was delusion of theft (N = 43, 30.3%). Thirty-five patients (24.6%) experienced hallucination. Fifty-seven patients (40.1%) had activity disturbances and 39 (27.5%) had aggression. Patients were divided into two subgroups according to the presence or absence of each cluster of symptoms, namely, delusions, hallucinations, activity disturbance, aggression, diurnal rhythm change, affective symptoms, and anxiety. There was no significant correlation between age, age at onset of dementia, number of years of education, and duration of illness and each cluster of symptoms. Correlation between severity of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia and cognitive decline was noted.Conclusions: This study revealed a high prevalence of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in Taiwanese patients with AD and suggests that these symptoms are associated with cognitive deficit.


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