Repeated pain assessment in Alzheimer's disease

In previous studies, patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) have i ndicated that they experienced less pain intensity and affect from their pa inful conditions than nondemented elderly persons. However, in those studie s, pain assessment occurred only once. Therefore, it may be possible that p ain which had occurred, for example, a day earlier, could have been forgott en. Therefore, in the present study, AD patients' pain was assessed daily, i.e. once a day and even three times a day, during a longer period. The res ults parallel those of earlier studies, i.e. compared to elderly persons wi thout dementia, AD patients appear to perceive less pain intensity and pain affect. These findings support the hypothesis that AD is characterized by an alteration in pain experience. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.