Sleep continuity scale in Alzheimer’s disease (SCADS): application in daily clinical practice in an Italian center for dementia

• Published in: Neurological sciences Vol. 36; no. 3; pp. 469 - 471
• Main Authors: Manni, R., Sinforiani, E., Terzaghi, M., Rezzani, C., Zucchella, C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Milan Springer Milan 01-03-2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer Disease - complications; Alzheimer Disease - psychology; Brief Communication; Dementia; Female; Humans; Italy; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental Status Schedule; Middle Aged; Neurology; Neuropsychological Tests; Neuroradiology; Neurosciences; Neurosurgery; Psychiatry; Severity of Illness Index; Sleep; Sleep Wake Disorders - diagnosis; Sleep Wake Disorders - etiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Italy; Alzheimer’s disease; Sleep questionnaire; Sleep disturbances
• ISSN: 1590-1874; 1590-3478
• DOI: 10.1007/s10072-014-1975-2

Sleep disorders can occur in many neurodegenerative disorders; in a previous paper we constructed a scale investigating sleep discontinuity/fragmentation with the aim to obtain a rapidly and easily administered tool suitable for early identification and longitudinal monitoring of sleep disturbances in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We introduced this instrument in the daily clinical practice in a center for dementia; here we present the results of our experience. Two hundred and sixteen AD outpatients referred to the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Unit at the IRCCS C. Mondino National Neurological Institute, Pavia, Italy, in the period October 2012 to March 2014 were administered the scale. The questionnaire global score was correlated with measures of cognitive, functional and behavioral impairment; a significant association was found with Mini-Mental State (
p
 = 0.005), Activities of Daily Living (
p
 = 0.01), Neuropsychiatric Inventory (
p
 = 0.01) and Clinical Dementia Rating (
p
 = 0.0005). The present data indicate that the previously validated questionnaire proves to be a suitable, rapid and easy to use tool in investigating sleep quality in AD in daily clinical practice. An early identification and longitudinal monitoring of sleep disturbances in AD may improve pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions.