Anxiety and Alzheimer's disease

This study investigated symptoms of anxiety in two samples of clinic outpat ients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Clinician and caregiver repo rts were obtained using standardized measures to characterize a broad array of anxiety symptoms. Anxiety symptoms were reported for a substantial prop ortion of subjects, regardless of whether clinician or caregiver ratings we re used. Anxious or worried appearance was most common (68% to 71%), follow ed by fearfulness, tension, restlessness, and fidgeting (37% to 57%). Sleep disturbance and various somatic symptoms were less common (8% to 34%). Alt hough anxiety symptoms were prevalent, only 5% to 6% of subjects met Diagno stic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria for the diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder. In both samples, anxiety symptoms were ass ociated with depression, behavioral disturbances, and increased cognitive i mpairment. Study findings support a high occurrence of anxiety in patients with dementia, and treatments for anxiety might therefore be helpful in red ucing the psychiatric burden of AD.