Abstract

MALAGON M, Catalina; RODRIGUEZ R, Johanna; HERNANDEZ J, Janeth  and  PARDO T, Rodrigo. Analysis of the language performance in subjects with Alzheimer type dementia (ATD). rev.fac.med. [online]. 2005, vol.53, n.1, pp.3-9. ISSN 0120-0011.

Background: Alzheimer disease explains near 70% of all instances of dementia and its prevalence in 65 years old population is 3-5% while incidence is near 1-2 % per year in general population. The clinical features of alzheimer disease are essentially: memory deficits and changes in language, behavior, attention and loss of visuospatial skills. Objetive: to make a descriptive analysis of the performance in language skills in 23 Alzheimer disease subjects. Methods: subjects were included if: meet Alzheimer disease criteria; right handed; a minimal of five years of formal school and were able to complete the language tests. We dichotomize the group in mild and moderate according to global deterioration scale (GDS) and clinical dementia rating (CDR) classification. The performance in the subtests of language of the Minimal Mental State Examination (MMSE), denomination, semantic and phonological fluency was compared between groups. The linguistic deterioration was analyzed in both steps of DTA. Results: in the mild stadium, light deficits are demonstrated in all the tests. Nevertheless dominium with poorer performance were phonological and semantic fluency. In moderate state differences in performance were observed. Tasks on denomination, and semantic and phonological fluency had the poorer performance. Conclusion: language is a compromised neuropsychological dominium in Alzheimer disease. Our results reflect a progressive deterioration of linguistic skills, noted in a wide range of frequency between the mild and the moderated level of dementia and suggests a similar profile of deterioration in mild and moderate levels but with different patterns in specific tasks.

Keywords : Alzheimer disease; dementia; cognitive deterioration; language.

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