BACKGROUND: Consideration of the relationship between physical and mental health co-morbidities in ageing persons with Down syndrome (DS) and Alzheimer's dementia (AD) is of clinical importance both from a care and resource perspective. AIM To investigate and measure health co-morbidities in ageing persons with Down syndrome with and without AD. METHODS: Recorded physical and mental health needs were ascertained for 124 persons with DS>35 years through a systematic and detailed search of individual medical and nursing case records. Differences in persons with and without AD were investigated, by stage of dementia and by level of intellectual disability (ID). A summed score for health co-morbidities was created and compared using t-tests. RESULTS: Persons with AD had significantly higher co-morbidity scores than persons without AD (t=-8.992, d.f.=121, P<0.0001). There was also a significant difference in summed co-morbidity scores for persons at end-stage vs. persons at mid-stage AD (t=-6.429, d.f.=56, P<0.0001). No differences were found by level of ID. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing health co-morbidities in persons with DS and AD have important implications for care and resources. Appropriate environmental supports combined with competent skilled staff are crucial and will have an important impact on the quality of life for this increasingly at risk population.
BACKGROUND: Consideration of the relationship between physical and mental health co-morbidities in ageing persons with Down syndrome (DS) and Alzheimer's dementia (AD) is of clinical importance both from a care and resource perspective. AIM To investigate and measure health co-morbidities in ageing persons with Down syndrome with and without AD. METHODS: Recorded physical and mental health needs were ascertained for 124 persons with DS>35 years through a systematic and detailed search of individual medical and nursing case records. Differences in persons with and without AD were investigated, by stage of dementia and by level of intellectual disability (ID). A summed score for health co-morbidities was created and compared using t-tests. RESULTS:Persons with AD had significantly higher co-morbidity scores than persons without AD (t=-8.992, d.f.=121, P<0.0001). There was also a significant difference in summed co-morbidity scores for persons at end-stage vs. persons at mid-stage AD (t=-6.429, d.f.=56, P<0.0001). No differences were found by level of ID. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing health co-morbidities in persons with DS and AD have important implications for care and resources. Appropriate environmental supports combined with competent skilled staff are crucial and will have an important impact on the quality of life for this increasingly at risk population.
Authors: Anna J Esbensen; Stephen R Hooper; Deborah Fidler; Sigan L Hartley; Jamie Edgin; Xavier Liogier d'Ardhuy; George Capone; Frances A Conners; Carolyn B Mervis; Leonard Abbeduto; Michael Rafii; Sharon J Krinsky-McHale; Tiina Urv Journal: Am J Intellect Dev Disabil Date: 2017-05
Authors: James A Hendrix; Angelika Amon; Leonard Abbeduto; Stamatis Agiovlasitis; Tarek Alsaied; Heather A Anderson; Lisa J Bain; Nicole Baumer; Anita Bhattacharyya; Dusan Bogunovic; Kelly N Botteron; George Capone; Priya Chandan; Isabelle Chase; Brian Chicoine; Cécile Cieuta-Walti; Lara R DeRuisseau; Sophie Durand; Anna Esbensen; Juan Fortea; Sandra Giménez; Ann-Charlotte Granholm; Laura J Hahn; Elizabeth Head; Hampus Hillerstrom; Lisa M Jacola; Matthew P Janicki; Joan M Jasien; Angela R Kamer; Raymond D Kent; Bernard Khor; Jeanne B Lawrence; Catherine Lemonnier; Amy Feldman Lewanda; William Mobley; Paul E Moore; Linda Pollak Nelson; Nicolas M Oreskovic; Ricardo S Osorio; David Patterson; Sonja A Rasmussen; Roger H Reeves; Nancy Roizen; Stephanie Santoro; Stephanie L Sherman; Nasreen Talib; Ignacio E Tapia; Kyle M Walsh; Steven F Warren; A Nicole White; Guang William Wong; John S Yi Journal: Transl Sci Rare Dis Date: 2021-04-15