Neuropsychiatric Symptoms Complicating the Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Case Report

Article type: Short Communication

Authors: Eikelboom, Willem S.^a | van Rooij, Jeroen G. J.^a | van den Berg, Esther^a | Coesmans, Michiel^b | Jiskoot, Lize C.^a | Singleton, Ellen^c | Ossenkoppele, Rik^{c; d} | van Swieten, John C.^a | Seelaar, Harro^a | Papma, Janne M.^{a; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Neurology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands | [b] Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands | [c] Department of Neurology, VUmc Alzheimer Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands | [d] Clinical Memory Research Unit, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Janne M. Papma, PhD, Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Center, Dr. Molewaterplein 40, 3015 GD Rotterdam, the Netherlands. E-mail: j.papma@erasmusmc.nl.

Abstract: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are increasingly recognized as a core element of Alzheimer’s disease (AD); however, clinicians still consider AD primarily as a cognitive disorder. We describe a case in which the underrecognition of NPS as part of AD resulted in substantial delay of an AD diagnosis, a wrong psychiatric diagnosis, and the organization of inappropriate care. The aim of this paper is to acknowledge NPS as an (early) manifestation of AD and to suggest features that may point toward underlying AD in older adults with late-life behavioral changes.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, behavior, dementia, diagnosis, neuropsychiatry

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-180700

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 66, no. 4, pp. 1363-1369, 2018