Mohammad Kashif, Fareed Aslam Minhas, Humaira Khalid, Faiza Aslam.
Early signs and symptoms of Alzheimer disease.
J Pak Psych Soc Jan ;12(3):12-4.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to examine the Early Non-cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and to determine the duration and frequency of Non-cognitive symptoms of Alzheimers. Study Design: It was cross-sectional descriptive study Place and duration of study: The duration of the study was nine months from May, 2008 to February 2009. Method: Non- probability convenient sampling technique was used to collect the data. Patients were first screened on the scores of Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and then detailed assessment of those patients was done with Coronell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD). Furthermore, the measurements including, Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in Elderly (IQCODE), Personality Inventory (PI), and section H of Cambridge Mental Disorder in Elderly Examination (CAMDEX). Data was analyzed using SPSS version 10. Results: The non-cognitive symptoms among the study participants were personality change, every day activity impairment, depressed mood, sleep, persecution, hallucination, and behavioral symptoms. The results also revealed that at least two non-cognitive symptoms were present among all the patients. Conclusion: Behavioral and psychological symptoms encompass more than half of the presenting features of Alzheimer’s disease.

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