Se. Starkstein et al., PROSPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF DEPRESSION AND ANOSOGNOSIA IN ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE, British Journal of Psychiatry, 171, 1997, pp. 47-52
Background The aim was to examine the longitudinal evolution of depres
sion and anosognosia in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD
). Method Sixty-two of a consecutive series of 116 AD patients that we
re examined with a structured psychiatric interview had a Follow-up ev
aluation between one and two years after the initial evaluation. Resul
ts At the initial evaluation 19% of the 62 patients had major depressi
on, 34% had dysthymia, and 47% were not depressed. After a mean follow
-up of 16 months, 58% of patients with major depression at the initial
evaluation were still depressed, whereas only 28% ofpatients with ini
tial dysthymia and 21% of the non-depressed patients were depressed at
follow-up. During the follow-up period, all three groups showed simil
ar declines in cognitive status and activities of daily living. At the
initial evaluation, 39% of the patients had anosognosia, and there wa
s a significant increment of anosognosia during the follow-up period.
Conclusions While dysthymia in AD is a brief emotional disorder, major
depression is a longer-lasting mood change. Anosognosia is another pr
evalent disorder among AD patients, and increases with the progression
of the illness.