Neuropsychiatric Profile in Early Versus Late Onset Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in patients with early onset Alzheimer's disease (EAOD) and late onset AD (LOAD). METHODS: Patients were selected from a specialized memory outpatient clinic. The Mini-Mental State Examination, the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), and the Global Deterioration Scale results were analyzed. RESULTS: By comparing EOAD (n = 35) and LOAD (n = 35) patients, no significant differences were found in clinical or demographic variables, matched for sex, education, and disease severity. There were no differences between groups in total NPI frequency or severity scores. The most common NPS were irritability, apathy, anxiety, and depression. We found an association of NPI scores with disease severity and duration, which was more specific in patients with LOAD and was also associated with the presence of delusions and hallucinations. CONCLUSION: Despite subtle differences, NPS is considered important in the assessment of patients with AD, regardless of the age of onset.

Five-Year Outcome in Stroke Patients Submitted to Thrombolysis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Little is known on long-term follow-up after thrombolysis in ischemic stroke patients because the majority of studies evaluated outcome at 3 to 12 months. We aimed to assess 5-year outcome after intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). METHODS: Cohort study based on the prospective registry of all consecutive ischemic stroke patients submitted to IVT in our Stroke Unit. Five-year outcome, including living settings, functional outcome, stroke recurrence, and mortality, was ascertained by telephonic interviews and additional review of clinical records. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify predictors of outcome and mortality. Excellent outcome was defined as modified Rankin scale 0 to 1. RESULTS: Five-year outcome was available for 155/164 patients submitted to IVT. At 5 years, 32.9% of patients had an excellent outcome (95% confidence interval (CI) =25.5-43.3) and mortality was 43.9% (95%CI=36.1-51.7). Increasing age (odds ratio =0.93, 95% CI =0.90-0.97) and increasing National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) 24 h after thrombolysis (odds ratio =0.81, 95% CI =0.74-0.90) were independently associated with a lower likelihood of an excellent 5-year outcome. Age (hazards ratio =1.07, 95% CI =1.03-1.11) and excellent functional outcome 3 months after thrombolysis (hazards ratio =0.28, 95%CI=0.12-0.66) were independently associated with mortality during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: One third of ischemic stroke patients have excellent 5-year outcome after IVT. Younger age, lower NIHSS 24 h after IVT, and excellent 3-month functional outcome are independent predictors of excellent 5-year outcome.