%0 Journal Article
%A Villarejo-Galende, Alberto
%A GarcIa-Arcelay, Elena
%A Piñol-Ripoll, Gerard
%A Del Olmo-RodrIguez, Antonio
%A Viñuela, Felix
%A Boada, Merce
%A Franco-Macias, Emilio
%A de la Peña, Almudena Ibañez
%A Riverol, Mario
%A Puig-Pijoan, Albert
%A Abizanda-Soler, Pedro
%A Arroyo, Rafael
%A Baquero-Toledo, Miquel
%A Feria-Vilar, Inmaculada
%A Balasa, Mircea
%A Berbel, Angel
%A Rodriguez-Rodriguez, Eloy
%A Vieira-Campos, Alba
%A Garcia-Ribas, Guillermo
%A Rodrigo-Herrero, Silvia
%A Lleo, Albert
%A Maurino, Jorge
%T Awareness of Diagnosis in Persons with Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease: An Observational Study in Spain.
%D 2022
%@ 2193-8253
%U http://hdl.handle.net/10668/21496
%X Limited information is available on people's experiences of living with Alzheimer's disease (AD) at earlier stages. This study assessed awareness of diagnosis among people with early-stage AD and its impact on different person-centered outcome measures. We conducted an observational, cross-sectional study in 21 memory clinics in Spain. Persons aged 50-90 years, diagnosed with prodromal or mild AD (NIA/AA criteria), a Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score ≥ 22, and a Clinical Dementia Rating-Global score (CDR-GS) of 0.5 or 1.0 were recruited. The Representations and Adjustment to Dementia Index (RADIX) was used to assess participants' beliefs about their condition and its consequences. A total of 149 persons with early-stage AD were studied. Mean (SD) age was 72.3 (7.0) years and 50.3% were female. Mean duration of AD was 1.4 (1.8) years. Mean MMSE score was 24.6 (2.1) and 87.2% had a CDR-GS score of 0.5. Most participants (n = 84, 57.5%) used a descriptive term related to specific AD symptoms (e.g., memory difficulties) when asked what they called their condition. Participants aware of their diagnosis using the term AD (n = 66, 45.2%) were younger, had more depressive symptoms, and poorer life satisfaction and quality of life compared to those without awareness of their specific diagnosis. Practical and emotional consequences RADIX scores showed a significant negative correlation with Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease score (rho = - 0.389 and - 0.413, respectively; p  Awareness of diagnosis was a common phenomenon in persons with early-stage AD negatively impacting their quality of life. Understanding illness representations in earlier stages may facilitate implementing optimized care that supports improved quality of life and well-being.
%K Alzheimer’s disease
%K Awareness
%K Diagnosis
%K Illness representation
%K Quality of life
%K Well-being
%~