Page 41 - BH-2-1

Brain & Heart Practical tips for AD and PD

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of the study participants
AD (n=60) PD‑D (n=60) Control (n=120) P
Age, year (mean±SD) 71.4±6.11 73.32±7.07 65.49±7.00* <0.001 a
Gender (n, %) 0.031 b
Female 37 (61.7) 23 (38.3) 65 (54.2)
Male 23 (38.3) 37 (61.7) 55 (45.8)
Disease duration, year (median, min-max) 3 (0 – 11) 4 (1 – 34) - <0.001 c
Living (n, %)
With family 41 (68.3) 41 (68.3) 97 (80.8) 0.080 b
Alone 19 (31.7) 19 (31.7) 23 (19.2)
Education period, year (median, min-max) 5 (0 – 16) 5 (0 – 17) 8 (0 – 22)* 0.001 d
Dominant hand (n, %) 0.628 b
Right-handed 53 (88.3) 49 (81.7) 104 (86.7)
Left-handed 4 (6.7) 8 (13.3) 13 (10.8)
No dominance 3 (5.0) 3 (5.0) 3 (2.5)
Notes: One-way ANOVA; Chi-squared test; Mann–Whitney U-test; Kruskal–Wallis test; *compared with the control group.
c
d
a
b
Abbreviations: AD: Alzheimer’s disease; PD-D: Parkinson’s disease with dementia.
The presence of head injury, thyroid dysfunction, 4. Discussion
vascular risk factors, family history of dementia, smoking,
and alcohol use were questioned and no statistically Dementia presents a significant challenge to the health-
significant difference between the patient groups was care system, necessitating accurate diagnostic tools
found. The medical history and comorbidities of the for distinguishing various forms of cognitive decline.
patient groups are summarized in Table 2. This study delves into the comparative evaluation of
functional impairment between AD and PD-D patients.
The BDRS functional test results revealed that there The findings are instrumental for refining diagnostic
was a significant difference between the patient groups profiles and providing clinical insights that are relevant
and the control group in changes in the performance of for physicians dealing with high patient volume in
daily activities, personality, interests, and drive (P < 0.001), outpatient settings.
but there was no difference between the patient groups
– AD and PD-D (P > 0.05). There was also a significant In clinical practice, MMSE was applied to all patients
difference in the changes in habits scores, which were more complaining of forgetfulness. Clock drawing, verbal
pronounced in the PD-D group (P < 0.05; Table 3). fluency, and calculation are the most commonly used
assessments. These tests are known for their quick
In terms of cognitive evaluation, a statistically significant and easy evaluations. CDT is a widely used cognitive
difference was found between the patient groups and the assessment tool that can yield valuable insights into the
control group in all relevant tests (P < 0.001; Table 4). cognitive impairments seen in AD and PD-D. Most CDT
In addition, there was statistical significance between results of AD patients show the characteristic pattern
the AD and PD-D groups in the domains of calculation, of deficits, often characterized by distorted clock faces,
verbal fluency, WMT-step 1, and CDT. In the AD group, missing numbers, and incorrect time settings. These
the scores were generally lower in these tests compared to abnormalities in clock drawings reflect the impaired
the PD-D group, with marked deterioration in the above- visuospatial and executive functions of AD patients,
mentioned aspects (P < 0.05; Table 4) which are common features of the disease. In contrast,
The evaluation of neuropsychiatric symptoms and individuals with PD-D may also demonstrate CDT
psychopathologies in the study patients revealed a difficulties, albeit with a slightly different profile. PD-D
statistically significant difference between the patient group patients tend to struggle with the fine motor aspects
and the control group in terms of delirium, agitation, NPI of the test, exemplified by irregular clock numbers
total score, and NPI distress score (P < 0.05). However, apart and hands, which are indicative of their motor-related
from the worse delirium rates in the AD group (P < 0.05), impairments [29,30] . Therefore, the specific nature of
there was no significant difference between AD and PD-D the deficits on CDT may differ among AD and PD-D
groups in terms of agitation, NPI total score, and NPI patients, reflecting the distinctive cognitive and motor
distress scores (P > 0.05; Table 5). challenges associated with each condition.

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2024) 5 https://doi.org/10.36922/bh.1712