CLINICAL SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH AGE AT ONSET IN ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE

Objective: The aim of the study was to examine the relationship betwee n age at onset of Alzheimer's disease and demographic and clinical cha racteristics in a large cohort of patients with Alzheimer's disease. M ethod: The subjects were 104 patients meeting the criteria for Alzheim er's disease of the National Institute of Neurological and Communicati ve Disorders and Stroke. The relationships of age at disease onset to cognitive and noncognitive variables and to rate of progression were e xplored by using multiple regression analysis. Results: Earlier diseas e onset was associated with the presence of greater language and praxi s difficulties and with the development of higher depression scores du ring the follow-up study period but not with faster disease progressio n. Conclusions: These findings suggest that in Alzheimer's disease, wh ich is a clinically heterogeneous illness, younger age at onset may be related to the presence of more prominent language and praxis impairm ent and to development of greater depression during the disease course .