Observational study shows 44.4% prevalence of hallucinations in Alzheimer’s patients, suggesting targeted interventions may be needed.
The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of hallucinations in patients with AD and to assess its associated clinic-demographic and neuropsychiatric profile. Three hundred and eighty-one patients collected within the National Institute of Mental Health Genetics Initiative were included. Characteristics of hallucinators and non-hallucinators were compared by logistic regression. One hundred sixty-nine (44.4%) patients were hallucinators. Hallucinators presented a more severe AD than non-hallucinators with a lower MMSE (10.6 ± 8.9 versus 14.6 ± 8.9; OR 0.9; 95%CI 0.92-0.97; p-value < 0.001) and a higher CDRS (2.7 ± 1.0 versus 2.4 ± 1.1; OR 1.2; 95%CI 1.01-1.44; p-value 0.035). Hallucinators presented a more severe neuropsychological profile, characterised by apathy, verbal and physical aggressivity, and wandering. Hallucinations may represent a clinically useful tool for identifying patients who may require more intensive interventions.
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Luca et al. (2025) studied this question.
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