Evaluation of Anosognosia in Alzheimer's Disease Using the Symptoms of Early Dementia-11 Questionnaire (SED-11Q)

Abstract

Aims: The objective is to propose a brief method to evaluate anosognosia in Alzheimer's disease (AD) using the Symptoms of Early Dementia-11 Questionnaire (SED-11Q), a short informant-based screening questionnaire for identifying dementia. Methods: The participants were 107 elderly individuals: 13 with a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) of 0.5, 73 with mild AD of CDR 1, and 21 with moderate AD of CDR 2. The patients and caregivers answered the SED-11Q independently, and the degree of discrepancy indicated the severity of anosognosia. Results: The scores were as follows: caregiver scores were 2.46 ± 1.85 (mean ± SD) in CDR 0.5, 6.36 ± 3.02 in CDR 1, and 9.00 ± 1.14 in CDR 2; patient scores were 2.00 ± 1.78, 2.55 ± 2.33, and 1.33 ± 2.46, respectively. Discrepancy was 0.46 ± 1.61, 3.81 ± 3.95, and 7.67 ± 2.87, respectively, and the caregiver assessments were significantly higher than the patient assessments in CDR 1 and CDR 2 (p Conclusion: The SED-11Q serves a dual purpose: caregiver assessment is useful for the screening of dementia, and any discrepancy between the patient and the caregiver assessment is considered as an indication of the severity of anosognosia; this can be informative for caregivers and essential for successful care.

Keywords

• Anosognosia
• Dementia
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia
• Metacognition
• Caregiver burden
• Dementia care
• Screening test
• Mild cognitive impairment