Prestroke dementia: characteristics and clinical features in consecutive series of patients.

Background/Aim: The prestroke level of cognitive function should be taken into account in order to predict the impact of stroke on the subsequent risk of dementia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence and correlates of prestroke dementia (PSD) as well as to identify its clinical features. Methods: Premorbid clinical and cognitive features of 158 consecutively recruited patients with a diagnosis of acute cerebrovascular pathology were assessed by interviewing the caregivers using multidimensional assessment. Patients were divided into two groups (PSD group and prestroke nondemented group). Baseline cognitive, functional and behavioral variables and neuroradiological hallmarks (medial temporal lobe atrophy, MTLA) were compared between these two groups. Results: In a logistic regression model, older age (OR 1.05), female gender (OR 2.3), Neuropsychiatric Inventory total score (OR 1.1) and MTLA (OR 1.2) were the variables independently associated with PSD. Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that cognitive impairment in patients with stroke may not only be a direct consequence of the acute cerebrovascular event but also a consequence of underlying neurodegenerative pathology. (C) 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel