Behavioral disturbances significantly increase the strain of caring for patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at the Brown University School of Medicine in Providence, RI.

This strain on friends and family who care for Alzheimer patients -- known as caregiver burden -- is also increased by the impaired patient awareness of their memory problems.

Previous studies have shown that primary caregivers for Alzheimer patients have poor overall health, higher rates of depression, and experience feelings of isolation.

Dr Susan Rymer of Brown University, reporting in the journal Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders, said her study of 41 Alzheimer patients confirmed the hypothesis that behavioral disturbances and impaired awareness of memory deficit both increase with the severity of the disease.

"Both impaired patient awareness of memory deficit and behavioral disturbance contributed to caregiver burden over and above dementia severity and functional impairment," Rymer reported. "Of the problem behaviors, measures of disinhibition contributed most to caregiver burden.

"We conclude that both patient awareness of memory deficit and behavioral disturbance impact caregiver burden, with behavioral disturbance making the greater contribution," the researchers said.

Other sources: Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders