Impact of COVID-19 Mandatory Lockdown Measures on Cognitive and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Persons with Alzheimer's Disease in Lima, Peru.

BACKGROUND: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) worsened during the COVID-19 lockdowns, but their progression thereafter is unknown. We present the first longitudinal study tracking them before, during, and after restrictions. OBJECTIVES: To describe the effect of the COVID-19 mandatory lockdowns on Cognitive and Neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). METHODS: Cohort of 48 patients with amnestic MCI and 38 with AD in Lima, Peru. They received three rounds of cognitive (RUDAS, CDR, M@T), behavioral (NPI), and functional (ADCS-ADL) assessments. We assessed the change in score means across the time points and for each domain of NPS and tracked the changes in individual patients. RESULTS: RUDAS declined 0.9 (SD 1.0) from baseline to lockdown and 0.7 (SD 1.0) after restrictions. M@T declined 1.0 (SD 1.5) from baseline to lockdown and 1.4 (SD 2.0) after restrictions. CDR worsened in 72 patients (83.72%) from baseline to post-lockdown. NPI worsened by 10 (SD 8.3) from baseline to lockdown but improved by 4.8 (SD 6.4) after restrictions. Proportionally, 81.3% of all patients had worsened NPS during the lockdowns, but only 10.7% saw an increase thereafter. Improvement was statistically significant for specific NPS domains except hallucinations, delusions, and appetite changes. Anxiety, irritability, apathy, and disinhibition returned to baseline levels. CONCLUSION: Following confinement, cognition continued to decline, but NPS demonstrated either stability or improvement. This highlights the role modifiable risk factors may have on the progression of NPS.

Deterioro cognitivo leve: ¿dónde termina el envejecimiento normal y empieza la demencia? / Mild cognitive impairment: where does normal ageing end and where dementia begins?

Con el aumento de la prevalencia de demencia en el mundo, debemos poner especial atención a la evaluación diagnóstica de estadios previos a la demencia. El deterioro cognitivo leve (DCL) podría ser considerado un estadio precoz de demencia, en especial de la enfermedad de Alzheimer (AD); por lo que consideramos importante un diagnóstico adecuado, mediante la utilización de instrumentos y técnicas fiables y sensibles, que permitan discriminar entre sujetos con envejecimiento normal y patológico. Los estudios epidemiológicos muestran una elevada prevalencia de DCL en la población general. Asimismo, se ha documentado la progresión de DCL a demencia y EA, sobre todo en sujetos con DCL del tipo amnésico. La edad, el estado de portador del APOE-ε4, la atrofia del hipocampo en resonancia magnética y la presencia de algunos biomarcadores en líquido cefalorraquídeo parecen influir en la conversión. Se sugiere que el estudio de pacientes con sospecha de DCL sea el mismo que se emplea en la sospecha de demencia y EA. La evaluación neuropsicológica es la única prueba que permite confirmar el diagnóstico y nos ayuda a realizar una adecuada clasificación de los subtipos de DCL: amnésico, multidominio y monodominio no amnésico.

Due to the increasing prevalence of dementia in the world we must put special attention to diagnostic evaluation of pre-dementia stages. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) could be considered an early stage of dementia, particularly of Alzheimer's disease (AD), so we consider important proper diagnosis using reliable and sensitive tools and techniques in order to discriminate subjects with normal and pathological aging. Epidemiological studies show high prevalence of MCI in the general population as well as progression of MCI to dementia and AD, especially in subjects with amnesia type MCI. Age, APOE-ε4 carrier status, hippocampus atrophy by MRI, and presence of certain biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid can influence conversion. Evaluation of patients with MCI suspicion should be the same used in suspicion of dementia and AD. Neuropsychological assessment is the only test confirming diagnosis and helps making a proper classification of MCI subtypes: amnesic, multidomain and non-amnesic single domain.