[Neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementias: preliminary report of a prospective outpatient evaluation in Brazil].

This study aimed to evaluate the behavioral and psychological symptoms in dementia (BPSD) and to correlate the level of the functional dependence, cognitive decline and neuropsychiatric symptoms in outpatients. In this prospective study, 35 elderly with dementia (DSM-IV) were evaluated over the course of one year with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR), Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ). Spearman correlation was used to compare cognitive, functional and behavioral symptoms in the first and last visits. The psychotic versus non-psychotic subgroups were compared by means of cognitive and functional performance. The Mann-Whitney test was used for the comparison. The MMSE scores declined and the NPI scores showed better results at endpoint. Prevalence of depressive symptoms was 58.8%, agitation 55.9%, and delusion 41.2%. Significant correlations were found for functional and MMSE scores, years of formal education and NPI, but not for duration of disease. Psychotic symptoms had negative effects on daily activities of outpatients and were associated with functional decline.