Abstract
In order to investigate the clinical features of dementia in super-aged patients, we examined the symptoms and troublesome behavior shown by nonagenarian patients who developed dementia in Alzheimer's disease with late onset (demented nonagenarian group). A total of 24 inpatients were selected from she National Shimofusa Sanatorium as subjects: these included 11 patients who were diagnosed as having dementia in Alzheimer's disease with late onset and 13 with dementia in Alzheimer's disease with early onset (early onset group). The GBS (Gottfries, Brane and Steen's) and DBD (Dementia Behavior Disturbance) scales were used for evaluation of symptoms and troublesome behavior, and the symptoms were compared between the two groups. Disturbances of orientation and memory were significantly milder in the demented nonagenarians than in the early dementia group, but reduced motivation, confusion, anxiety and accusational behavior were more severe in the demented nonagenarians. The present results suggest that the clinical features of dementia in the super-aged are more complex because not only intelligence disturbances (disorientation, memory impairment) but also symptoms related to physiological aging (delirium, depression, impaired fluency) and pathological aging (reduced motivation) are mixed.
