Awareness of diagnosis predicts changes in quality of life in individuals with mild cognitive impairment and mild stage dementia.
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry
; 38(6): e5939, 2023 Jun.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37300313
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:
This observational study examined how awareness of diagnosis predicted changes in cognition and quality of life (QOL) 1 year later in older adults with normal cognition and dementia diagnoses. RESEARCH DESIGN ANDMETHODS:
Older adults (n = 259) with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or mild stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) completed measures of diagnostic awareness, cognition, and multiple domains of QOL. We compared 1-year change in cognition and QOL by diagnostic group and diagnostic awareness.RESULTS:
Patients who were unaware of their diagnosis at baseline showed average decreases in both satisfaction with daily life (QOL-AD; paired mean difference (PMD) = -0.9, p < 0.05) and physical functioning (SF-12 PCS; PMD = -2.5, p < 0.05). In contrast, patients aware of their diagnosis at baseline showed no statistically discernable changes in most QOL domains (all p > 0.05). Of patients aware of their diagnosis at baseline (n = 111), those who were still aware (n = 84) showed a decrease in mental functioning at follow up (n = 27; SF-12 MCS). Change in MoCA scores in patients unaware of their diagnosis was similar to that in patients aware of their diagnosis, -1.4 points (95% CI -2.6 to -0.6) and -1.7 points (95% CI -2.4 to -1.1) respectively. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS Awareness of one's diagnosis of MCI or AD, not the severity of cognitive impairment, may predict changes in patients' mental functioning, expectations of their memory, satisfaction with daily life, and physical functioning. The findings may help clinicians anticipate the types of threats to wellbeing that a patient might encounter and identify key domains for monitoring.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Dementia
/
Alzheimer Disease
/
Cognitive Dysfunction
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Aspects:
Patient_preference
Limits:
Aged
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry
Journal subject:
GERIATRIA
/
PSIQUIATRIA
Year:
2023
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States