NEW ORLEANS — Just 4% of U.S. acute MI patients transferred from one hospital to another for primary percutaneous intervention are treated within 90 minutes as recommended in recent guidelines, Brahmajee K. Nallamothu, M.D., reported at the annual scientific sessions of the American Heart Association.

This finding from the large National Registry of Myocardial Infarction (NRMI) database indicates an urgent need for improved process-of-care systems in order to minimize time delays for transferred MI patients, said Dr. Nallamothu of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

PCI, when performed expeditiously, yields outcomes clearly superior to thrombolytic therapy. But at present, only about 20% of U.S. acute care hospitals have the capacity to perform primary PCI.

When a patient presents to a hospital without such capacity, the only options are on-site thrombolysis or immediate transfer to another facility for the procedure.

The pro-transfer argument is bolstered by several favorable European randomized controlled trials. However, these trials were conducted in countries with better-organized care and shorter transfer distances than are the norm in the United States. As a result, total door-to-balloon times in the randomized trials was only about 90 minutes. And the great majority of transferred American patients don't even come close to that speed of care.

Dr. Nallamothu's analysis of the NRMI-3 and −4 cohorts underscores that point. Of 4,278 consecutive acute MI patients transferred for primary PCI at 419 hospitals participating in the registry, only 4.2% had a door-to-balloon time of 90 minutes or less, as recommended in the recently issued AHA/American College of Cardiology guidelines (J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2004;44:671–719). The median door-to-balloon time was 180 minutes. Only 16.2% of transferred patients had a door-to-balloon time of 120 minutes or less, as recommended in earlier AHA/ACC guidelines. The great bulk of the time delay occurred because of prolonged transit times. More than 50% of transferred patients had transfer times in excess of 120 minutes.

NRMI is an ongoing project funded by Genentech. Dr. Nallamothu's study was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

NEW ORLEANS — Just 4% of U.S. acute MI patients transferred from one hospital to another for primary percutaneous intervention are treated within 90 minutes as recommended in recent guidelines, Brahmajee K. Nallamothu, M.D., reported at the annual scientific sessions of the American Heart Association.

This finding from the large National Registry of Myocardial Infarction (NRMI) database indicates an urgent need for improved process-of-care systems in order to minimize time delays for transferred MI patients, said Dr. Nallamothu of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

PCI, when performed expeditiously, yields outcomes clearly superior to thrombolytic therapy. But at present, only about 20% of U.S. acute care hospitals have the capacity to perform primary PCI.

When a patient presents to a hospital without such capacity, the only options are on-site thrombolysis or immediate transfer to another facility for the procedure.

The pro-transfer argument is bolstered by several favorable European randomized controlled trials. However, these trials were conducted in countries with better-organized care and shorter transfer distances than are the norm in the United States. As a result, total door-to-balloon times in the randomized trials was only about 90 minutes. And the great majority of transferred American patients don't even come close to that speed of care.

Dr. Nallamothu's analysis of the NRMI-3 and −4 cohorts underscores that point. Of 4,278 consecutive acute MI patients transferred for primary PCI at 419 hospitals participating in the registry, only 4.2% had a door-to-balloon time of 90 minutes or less, as recommended in the recently issued AHA/American College of Cardiology guidelines (J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2004;44:671–719). The median door-to-balloon time was 180 minutes. Only 16.2% of transferred patients had a door-to-balloon time of 120 minutes or less, as recommended in earlier AHA/ACC guidelines. The great bulk of the time delay occurred because of prolonged transit times. More than 50% of transferred patients had transfer times in excess of 120 minutes.

NRMI is an ongoing project funded by Genentech. Dr. Nallamothu's study was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

NEW ORLEANS — Just 4% of U.S. acute MI patients transferred from one hospital to another for primary percutaneous intervention are treated within 90 minutes as recommended in recent guidelines, Brahmajee K. Nallamothu, M.D., reported at the annual scientific sessions of the American Heart Association.

This finding from the large National Registry of Myocardial Infarction (NRMI) database indicates an urgent need for improved process-of-care systems in order to minimize time delays for transferred MI patients, said Dr. Nallamothu of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

PCI, when performed expeditiously, yields outcomes clearly superior to thrombolytic therapy. But at present, only about 20% of U.S. acute care hospitals have the capacity to perform primary PCI.

When a patient presents to a hospital without such capacity, the only options are on-site thrombolysis or immediate transfer to another facility for the procedure.

The pro-transfer argument is bolstered by several favorable European randomized controlled trials. However, these trials were conducted in countries with better-organized care and shorter transfer distances than are the norm in the United States. As a result, total door-to-balloon times in the randomized trials was only about 90 minutes. And the great majority of transferred American patients don't even come close to that speed of care.

Dr. Nallamothu's analysis of the NRMI-3 and −4 cohorts underscores that point. Of 4,278 consecutive acute MI patients transferred for primary PCI at 419 hospitals participating in the registry, only 4.2% had a door-to-balloon time of 90 minutes or less, as recommended in the recently issued AHA/American College of Cardiology guidelines (J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2004;44:671–719). The median door-to-balloon time was 180 minutes. Only 16.2% of transferred patients had a door-to-balloon time of 120 minutes or less, as recommended in earlier AHA/ACC guidelines. The great bulk of the time delay occurred because of prolonged transit times. More than 50% of transferred patients had transfer times in excess of 120 minutes.

NRMI is an ongoing project funded by Genentech. Dr. Nallamothu's study was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Women who presented to Michigan hospitals with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction waited significantly longer than men to undergo emergency angioplasty—and even men waited too long according to Mauro Moscucci, M.D., the lead, investigator in the study.

“We have an ideal target for quality improvement, something we can easily try to correct,” said Dr. Moscucci, who presented the data at the scientific sessions of the American Heart Association and discussed the findings in a later interview. “If we can improve our treatment times, we can substantially reduce the risk of death.”

Dr. Moscucci and his associates analyzed data collected on 1,551 patients who had primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute ST-segment elevation during a 20-month period ending in June 2004. Patients had the procedure at 1 of the 16 hospitals participating in the regional Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium.

The investigators found that only 26% of the 442 women who had an emergency angioplasty—and 34% of the 1,069 men—had the procedure within the 90-minute time frame recommended by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology.

On average, women waited more than 118 minutes before treatment began, compared with 106 minutes for men.

Patients of both sexes whose angioplasty began within 90 minutes of arrival at the hospital had a 50% lower risk of dying in the hospital than those who waited longer, said Dr. Moscucci, director of interventional cardiology at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center, Ann Arbor.

“Since there's been such a focus on angioplasty recently, we wondered whether the recommended door-to-balloon time of 90 minutes was still significant in terms of survival,” he said. “We found that it's still an important predictor of in-hospital mortality, and that perhaps we're not doing as well as we should.”

Women in the study were more than twice as likely as men to die in the hospital; their mortality rate was about 7%, compared with about 3% in men. When the investigators adjusted for the average older age of women and the higher frequency of comorbidities, they still found higher in-hospital mortality rates for women, Dr. Moscucci said.

The gender-difference findings augment a growing body of research showing that women with heart attacks seek care later, present more often with atypical symptoms and comorbidities such as severe diabetes, and face delays in treatment, he said.

In addition to the greater delays in treatment, the Michigan study showed that it takes longer for women to get to an emergency department in the first place. Women reported that their symptoms started an average of 105 minutes before they got to the emergency department; the average time for men was 85 minutes.

Dr. Moscucci said that hospital procedures for activating cardiac catheterization labs vary significantly. Labs could be activated faster—which, along with faster diagnosis, would help hasten door-to-balloon times—if more ambulances had the capability to automatically read or transmit ECGs and if more hospitals allowed emergency physicians and not just cardiologists to activate the labs directly, he said.

A recent survey of more than 1,000 women older than 35 years showed that only 47% of women who had head, neck, back, and jaw pain—typical heart attack symptoms— would call their doctor, and just 35% would call 911 or visit an emergency department.

“Women and their families still need a great deal of education. Their symptoms can be very atypical—perhaps only weakness, difficulty breathing, or dizziness,” said Michael J. Bresler, M.D., professor of emergency medicine at Stanford (Calif.) University. Women in whom heart attack is diagnosed “should be rushed to the cath lab or quickly given a lytic drug if immediate catheterization isn't available,” he said.

Women who presented to Michigan hospitals with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction waited significantly longer than men to undergo emergency angioplasty—and even men waited too long according to Mauro Moscucci, M.D., the lead, investigator in the study.

“We have an ideal target for quality improvement, something we can easily try to correct,” said Dr. Moscucci, who presented the data at the scientific sessions of the American Heart Association and discussed the findings in a later interview. “If we can improve our treatment times, we can substantially reduce the risk of death.”

Dr. Moscucci and his associates analyzed data collected on 1,551 patients who had primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute ST-segment elevation during a 20-month period ending in June 2004. Patients had the procedure at 1 of the 16 hospitals participating in the regional Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium.

The investigators found that only 26% of the 442 women who had an emergency angioplasty—and 34% of the 1,069 men—had the procedure within the 90-minute time frame recommended by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology.

On average, women waited more than 118 minutes before treatment began, compared with 106 minutes for men.

Patients of both sexes whose angioplasty began within 90 minutes of arrival at the hospital had a 50% lower risk of dying in the hospital than those who waited longer, said Dr. Moscucci, director of interventional cardiology at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center, Ann Arbor.

“Since there's been such a focus on angioplasty recently, we wondered whether the recommended door-to-balloon time of 90 minutes was still significant in terms of survival,” he said. “We found that it's still an important predictor of in-hospital mortality, and that perhaps we're not doing as well as we should.”

Women in the study were more than twice as likely as men to die in the hospital; their mortality rate was about 7%, compared with about 3% in men. When the investigators adjusted for the average older age of women and the higher frequency of comorbidities, they still found higher in-hospital mortality rates for women, Dr. Moscucci said.

The gender-difference findings augment a growing body of research showing that women with heart attacks seek care later, present more often with atypical symptoms and comorbidities such as severe diabetes, and face delays in treatment, he said.

In addition to the greater delays in treatment, the Michigan study showed that it takes longer for women to get to an emergency department in the first place. Women reported that their symptoms started an average of 105 minutes before they got to the emergency department; the average time for men was 85 minutes.

Dr. Moscucci said that hospital procedures for activating cardiac catheterization labs vary significantly. Labs could be activated faster—which, along with faster diagnosis, would help hasten door-to-balloon times—if more ambulances had the capability to automatically read or transmit ECGs and if more hospitals allowed emergency physicians and not just cardiologists to activate the labs directly, he said.

A recent survey of more than 1,000 women older than 35 years showed that only 47% of women who had head, neck, back, and jaw pain—typical heart attack symptoms— would call their doctor, and just 35% would call 911 or visit an emergency department.

“Women and their families still need a great deal of education. Their symptoms can be very atypical—perhaps only weakness, difficulty breathing, or dizziness,” said Michael J. Bresler, M.D., professor of emergency medicine at Stanford (Calif.) University. Women in whom heart attack is diagnosed “should be rushed to the cath lab or quickly given a lytic drug if immediate catheterization isn't available,” he said.

Women who presented to Michigan hospitals with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction waited significantly longer than men to undergo emergency angioplasty—and even men waited too long according to Mauro Moscucci, M.D., the lead, investigator in the study.

“We have an ideal target for quality improvement, something we can easily try to correct,” said Dr. Moscucci, who presented the data at the scientific sessions of the American Heart Association and discussed the findings in a later interview. “If we can improve our treatment times, we can substantially reduce the risk of death.”

Dr. Moscucci and his associates analyzed data collected on 1,551 patients who had primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute ST-segment elevation during a 20-month period ending in June 2004. Patients had the procedure at 1 of the 16 hospitals participating in the regional Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium.

The investigators found that only 26% of the 442 women who had an emergency angioplasty—and 34% of the 1,069 men—had the procedure within the 90-minute time frame recommended by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology.

On average, women waited more than 118 minutes before treatment began, compared with 106 minutes for men.

Patients of both sexes whose angioplasty began within 90 minutes of arrival at the hospital had a 50% lower risk of dying in the hospital than those who waited longer, said Dr. Moscucci, director of interventional cardiology at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center, Ann Arbor.

“Since there's been such a focus on angioplasty recently, we wondered whether the recommended door-to-balloon time of 90 minutes was still significant in terms of survival,” he said. “We found that it's still an important predictor of in-hospital mortality, and that perhaps we're not doing as well as we should.”

Women in the study were more than twice as likely as men to die in the hospital; their mortality rate was about 7%, compared with about 3% in men. When the investigators adjusted for the average older age of women and the higher frequency of comorbidities, they still found higher in-hospital mortality rates for women, Dr. Moscucci said.

The gender-difference findings augment a growing body of research showing that women with heart attacks seek care later, present more often with atypical symptoms and comorbidities such as severe diabetes, and face delays in treatment, he said.

In addition to the greater delays in treatment, the Michigan study showed that it takes longer for women to get to an emergency department in the first place. Women reported that their symptoms started an average of 105 minutes before they got to the emergency department; the average time for men was 85 minutes.

Dr. Moscucci said that hospital procedures for activating cardiac catheterization labs vary significantly. Labs could be activated faster—which, along with faster diagnosis, would help hasten door-to-balloon times—if more ambulances had the capability to automatically read or transmit ECGs and if more hospitals allowed emergency physicians and not just cardiologists to activate the labs directly, he said.

A recent survey of more than 1,000 women older than 35 years showed that only 47% of women who had head, neck, back, and jaw pain—typical heart attack symptoms— would call their doctor, and just 35% would call 911 or visit an emergency department.

“Women and their families still need a great deal of education. Their symptoms can be very atypical—perhaps only weakness, difficulty breathing, or dizziness,” said Michael J. Bresler, M.D., professor of emergency medicine at Stanford (Calif.) University. Women in whom heart attack is diagnosed “should be rushed to the cath lab or quickly given a lytic drug if immediate catheterization isn't available,” he said.

Trichotillomania (TTM) is distressing to pediatric patients who pull their hair and to their parents who feel helpless to stop the destructive behavior. Hair-pulling with psychiatric comorbidity requires comprehensive assessment and treatment, but we have found that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) alone can help children and adolescents with uncomplicated TTM.

This article describes a typical patient with adolescent-onset mild-to-moderate TTM and the three-step CBT approach—awareness training, stimulus control, and habit reversal—that we find effective in reducing pediatric hair pulling.

Jane, age 12, was referred to our clinic by her primary doctor after an 8-week trial of fluoxetine, 80 mg/d, failed to stop her hair pulling. Jane, who is right-handed, has been pulling her hair for 2 years, mostly in the right front scalp. Her shame over the hair loss makes her reluctant to participate in social activities. A dermatologist found no medical cause for her behavior, such as alopecia or folliculitis.

Jane’s parents say she has no history of a major mood disorder or anxiety. Her hair pulling causes significant “tension and stress” for all family members.

WHY DO PATIENTS PULL HAIR?

Cognitive-behavioral theory suggests that chronic TTM originates as a normal response to stress that often escapes personal and social awareness but gradually increases in frequency and severity (Box).^1-8 Thus, hair pulling becomes associated with internal and external cues through conditioning and is maintained primarily by positive reinforcement. Hair-pulling urges that are reinforced by pulling intensify the need to pull, perpetuating the behavioral cycle.

A genetic link? Familial research has associated TTM with increased rates of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or other excessive habits—such as nail biting or skin picking—among first-degree relatives.^6,9,10 Neuroimaging of persons with TTM has shown hyperactivity in the left cerebellum and right superior parietal lobe¹¹ as well as possible structural abnormalities in the left putamen,¹² left inferior frontal gyrus, and right cluneal cortex.¹³

These findings do not necessarily indicate pre-existing brain pathology, however. Perhaps TTM leads to changes in brain structure or function, or both TTM and the brain abnormalities may be caused by another as-yet-unknown variable.

Decreased pain sensitivity. Patients with TTM often report that hair pulling is not painful,² though we suspect that persons without TTM would disagree and derive no pleasure from it. Changes in pain sensitivity may influence the reinforcing quality of pulling behavior. One possible mechanism for such alterations is upregulation of the endogenous opioid system; some intriguing evidence suggests that opioid receptor antagonists such as naltrexone may reduce pulling.¹⁴

Box

Pain tolerance at the preferred pulling site has not been studied, however. For patients who feel pain from hair pulling, the pain itself may reinforce the behavior by distracting the individual from negative emotional or physiologic states.¹⁵

CASE CONTINUED: COUNTING THE WAYS

Jane and her parents agree that she pulls her hair 5 to 8 times daily, one hair at a time with her right index finger and thumb while doing homework or watching TV. The trigger, she says, is “an itch” on her scalp; “sometimes pulling relieves the itch.” She fails to resist pulling her hair 9 out of 10 times.

Table 1

Defining hair pulling: What to ask the pediatric patient

Psychiatric comorbidity is common—if not the norm—in adults with TTM. Although axis I comorbidity is also seen in children and adolescents, their hair pulling is frequently uncomplicated. Jane meets criteria for TTM, as determined by the Trichotillomania Diagnostic Interview,¹⁶ but her history does not support a comorbid disorder. After discussing the diagnosis with Jane and her parents, the psychiatrist begins treatment with CBT alone.

MEDICATION OR CBT?

SSRIs. Literature on TTM pharmacotherapy is very limited and equivocal. Medications that have helped adults with TTM have been described,¹⁷ but the lack of a single, randomized, controlled trial in pediatric TTM severely limits treatment recommendations for children.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have shown efficacy for treating anger and other impulse control problems but not for TTM. Some practitioners use SSRIs for TTM because of the belief that TTM is a variant of OCD. However, TTM may be maintained by positive reinforcement rather than compulsive tendencies and thus may not respond to SSRIs.

CBT. Evidence on CBT justifies cautious recommendations for pediatric TTM. In randomized trials, CBT reduced hair pulling in adults and was more effective than SSRIs or placebo.^18,19

REDUCING THE URGE

Obtain detailed information about a child or adolescent’s hair-pulling episodes (Table 1), as recognizing triggers and reactions is vital to effective CBT. Explain to the patient that:

• the pleasure or satisfaction she derives from pulling reinforces the urge to pull
• she can reduce the urge by learning and using awareness training, stimulus control, and habit reversal (Table 2).

Awareness training involves patient self-monitoring to gain awareness of urges to pull and of pulling behavior. The child must become alert to every hair pulled and to response precursors, such as placing her hand on her head. For a patient such as Jane, a useful technique is to post reminders on the TV and school notebook and in the bedroom and bathroom—wherever pulling typically occurs.

A “PULLING CALENDAR”

Jane begins a daily “pulling calendar” in which she records each time she pulls a hair while watching TV or doing homework. She is asked to include the total number of hairs pulled and the intensity of the “itch to pull” on a scale of 1 to 10.

Stimulus control. Most patients can identify high-risk situations, such as time in the bathroom, talking on the phone, watching TV, driving, reading, or while falling asleep. Boredom, frustration, anxiety, and sadness may serve as pulling cues.

With stimulus control, the patient tries to reduce her ability to freely engage in pulling behavior in high-risk situations. For instance, you might encourage a child who pulls hairs while doing homework to stick Band-Aid^®-type adhesive strips on her thumb and index finger tips before she starts studying as an impediment to gripping hairs. Such “speed bumps” may allow her to delay pulling and reach for tools that assist in habit reversal.

TREATMENT THAT APPEALS

Jane agrees to apply adhesive strips to her fingers and understands why. Because she is a fan of Peter Pan, we place Peter Pan stickers on her books and notebooks and on the TV remote control as reminders not to pull.

Table 2

CBT strategies to reduce the hair-pulling urge

Habit reversal and competing response procedures provide pleasurable physical stimulation as an alternative to pulling. The most effective methods engage the same motions as used in hair pulling. Examples include sculpting with clay, hulling sunflower seeds, and playing with Koosh^® balls—small rubbery balls filled with a jellylike plasma and covered with hundreds of soft “tentacles.”

‘CALMER, HAPPIER’

We explain habit reversal to Jane and instruct her to use the Koosh ball a few times a day. She enjoys pulling its rubber strands, an action that uses the same muscles as hair pulling. Because she will need Koosh balls during all identified high-risk situations, we instruct her to buy one for her book bag and to leave one near the couch where she watches TV.

Over time, Jane reports a gradual decrease of hair pulling with the use of awareness training and stimulus control techniques. Using the Koosh ball (habit reversal) helps her improve. By the 10th week, Jane and her parents report a 70% decrease in hair pulling, based on the pulling calendar entries and other objective evidence of treatment response. All report feeling “calmer and happier.”

CONCLUSION

Cognitive and behavioral strategies are useful and safe for treating pediatric TTM. Enlisting the parents and patient in identifying problem situations and applying creative solutions may increase the chances of success.

Follow-up is important for maintaining new cognitive and behavioral patterns. We recommend that you see patients monthly for at least 3 months, depending on how the patient feels about additional sessions. We encourage families to call and report on progress or relapses. Booster CBT sessions can help deal with setbacks.

Related resources

• Trichotillomania Learning Center, Inc.; devoted to improving TTM understanding and providing access to treatments and support groups. www.trich.org. Accessed Sept. 17, 2004.
• Golomb RG, Vavrichek SM. The hair pulling “habit” and you: how to solve the trichotillomania puzzle (rev ed). Silver Spring, MD: Writer’s Cooperative of Greater Washington; 2000. Book for children and teenagers.

Drug brand names

• Fluoxetine • Prozac
• Naltrexone • Depade, ReVia

Disclosure

The authors report no financial relationship with any company whose products are mentioned in this article or with manufacturers of competing products.

Acknowledgment

Preparation of this article was supported in part by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH61457).

Trichotillomania (TTM) is distressing to pediatric patients who pull their hair and to their parents who feel helpless to stop the destructive behavior. Hair-pulling with psychiatric comorbidity requires comprehensive assessment and treatment, but we have found that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) alone can help children and adolescents with uncomplicated TTM.

This article describes a typical patient with adolescent-onset mild-to-moderate TTM and the three-step CBT approach—awareness training, stimulus control, and habit reversal—that we find effective in reducing pediatric hair pulling.

Jane, age 12, was referred to our clinic by her primary doctor after an 8-week trial of fluoxetine, 80 mg/d, failed to stop her hair pulling. Jane, who is right-handed, has been pulling her hair for 2 years, mostly in the right front scalp. Her shame over the hair loss makes her reluctant to participate in social activities. A dermatologist found no medical cause for her behavior, such as alopecia or folliculitis.

Jane’s parents say she has no history of a major mood disorder or anxiety. Her hair pulling causes significant “tension and stress” for all family members.

WHY DO PATIENTS PULL HAIR?

Cognitive-behavioral theory suggests that chronic TTM originates as a normal response to stress that often escapes personal and social awareness but gradually increases in frequency and severity (Box).^1-8 Thus, hair pulling becomes associated with internal and external cues through conditioning and is maintained primarily by positive reinforcement. Hair-pulling urges that are reinforced by pulling intensify the need to pull, perpetuating the behavioral cycle.

A genetic link? Familial research has associated TTM with increased rates of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or other excessive habits—such as nail biting or skin picking—among first-degree relatives.^6,9,10 Neuroimaging of persons with TTM has shown hyperactivity in the left cerebellum and right superior parietal lobe¹¹ as well as possible structural abnormalities in the left putamen,¹² left inferior frontal gyrus, and right cluneal cortex.¹³

These findings do not necessarily indicate pre-existing brain pathology, however. Perhaps TTM leads to changes in brain structure or function, or both TTM and the brain abnormalities may be caused by another as-yet-unknown variable.

Decreased pain sensitivity. Patients with TTM often report that hair pulling is not painful,² though we suspect that persons without TTM would disagree and derive no pleasure from it. Changes in pain sensitivity may influence the reinforcing quality of pulling behavior. One possible mechanism for such alterations is upregulation of the endogenous opioid system; some intriguing evidence suggests that opioid receptor antagonists such as naltrexone may reduce pulling.¹⁴

Box

Pain tolerance at the preferred pulling site has not been studied, however. For patients who feel pain from hair pulling, the pain itself may reinforce the behavior by distracting the individual from negative emotional or physiologic states.¹⁵

CASE CONTINUED: COUNTING THE WAYS

Jane and her parents agree that she pulls her hair 5 to 8 times daily, one hair at a time with her right index finger and thumb while doing homework or watching TV. The trigger, she says, is “an itch” on her scalp; “sometimes pulling relieves the itch.” She fails to resist pulling her hair 9 out of 10 times.

Table 1

Defining hair pulling: What to ask the pediatric patient

Psychiatric comorbidity is common—if not the norm—in adults with TTM. Although axis I comorbidity is also seen in children and adolescents, their hair pulling is frequently uncomplicated. Jane meets criteria for TTM, as determined by the Trichotillomania Diagnostic Interview,¹⁶ but her history does not support a comorbid disorder. After discussing the diagnosis with Jane and her parents, the psychiatrist begins treatment with CBT alone.

MEDICATION OR CBT?

SSRIs. Literature on TTM pharmacotherapy is very limited and equivocal. Medications that have helped adults with TTM have been described,¹⁷ but the lack of a single, randomized, controlled trial in pediatric TTM severely limits treatment recommendations for children.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have shown efficacy for treating anger and other impulse control problems but not for TTM. Some practitioners use SSRIs for TTM because of the belief that TTM is a variant of OCD. However, TTM may be maintained by positive reinforcement rather than compulsive tendencies and thus may not respond to SSRIs.

CBT. Evidence on CBT justifies cautious recommendations for pediatric TTM. In randomized trials, CBT reduced hair pulling in adults and was more effective than SSRIs or placebo.^18,19

REDUCING THE URGE

Obtain detailed information about a child or adolescent’s hair-pulling episodes (Table 1), as recognizing triggers and reactions is vital to effective CBT. Explain to the patient that:

• the pleasure or satisfaction she derives from pulling reinforces the urge to pull
• she can reduce the urge by learning and using awareness training, stimulus control, and habit reversal (Table 2).

Awareness training involves patient self-monitoring to gain awareness of urges to pull and of pulling behavior. The child must become alert to every hair pulled and to response precursors, such as placing her hand on her head. For a patient such as Jane, a useful technique is to post reminders on the TV and school notebook and in the bedroom and bathroom—wherever pulling typically occurs.

A “PULLING CALENDAR”

Jane begins a daily “pulling calendar” in which she records each time she pulls a hair while watching TV or doing homework. She is asked to include the total number of hairs pulled and the intensity of the “itch to pull” on a scale of 1 to 10.

Stimulus control. Most patients can identify high-risk situations, such as time in the bathroom, talking on the phone, watching TV, driving, reading, or while falling asleep. Boredom, frustration, anxiety, and sadness may serve as pulling cues.

With stimulus control, the patient tries to reduce her ability to freely engage in pulling behavior in high-risk situations. For instance, you might encourage a child who pulls hairs while doing homework to stick Band-Aid^®-type adhesive strips on her thumb and index finger tips before she starts studying as an impediment to gripping hairs. Such “speed bumps” may allow her to delay pulling and reach for tools that assist in habit reversal.

TREATMENT THAT APPEALS

Jane agrees to apply adhesive strips to her fingers and understands why. Because she is a fan of Peter Pan, we place Peter Pan stickers on her books and notebooks and on the TV remote control as reminders not to pull.

Table 2

CBT strategies to reduce the hair-pulling urge

Habit reversal and competing response procedures provide pleasurable physical stimulation as an alternative to pulling. The most effective methods engage the same motions as used in hair pulling. Examples include sculpting with clay, hulling sunflower seeds, and playing with Koosh^® balls—small rubbery balls filled with a jellylike plasma and covered with hundreds of soft “tentacles.”

‘CALMER, HAPPIER’

We explain habit reversal to Jane and instruct her to use the Koosh ball a few times a day. She enjoys pulling its rubber strands, an action that uses the same muscles as hair pulling. Because she will need Koosh balls during all identified high-risk situations, we instruct her to buy one for her book bag and to leave one near the couch where she watches TV.

Over time, Jane reports a gradual decrease of hair pulling with the use of awareness training and stimulus control techniques. Using the Koosh ball (habit reversal) helps her improve. By the 10th week, Jane and her parents report a 70% decrease in hair pulling, based on the pulling calendar entries and other objective evidence of treatment response. All report feeling “calmer and happier.”

CONCLUSION

Cognitive and behavioral strategies are useful and safe for treating pediatric TTM. Enlisting the parents and patient in identifying problem situations and applying creative solutions may increase the chances of success.

Follow-up is important for maintaining new cognitive and behavioral patterns. We recommend that you see patients monthly for at least 3 months, depending on how the patient feels about additional sessions. We encourage families to call and report on progress or relapses. Booster CBT sessions can help deal with setbacks.

Related resources

• Trichotillomania Learning Center, Inc.; devoted to improving TTM understanding and providing access to treatments and support groups. www.trich.org. Accessed Sept. 17, 2004.
• Golomb RG, Vavrichek SM. The hair pulling “habit” and you: how to solve the trichotillomania puzzle (rev ed). Silver Spring, MD: Writer’s Cooperative of Greater Washington; 2000. Book for children and teenagers.

Drug brand names

• Fluoxetine • Prozac
• Naltrexone • Depade, ReVia

Disclosure

The authors report no financial relationship with any company whose products are mentioned in this article or with manufacturers of competing products.

Acknowledgment

Preparation of this article was supported in part by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH61457).

Trichotillomania (TTM) is distressing to pediatric patients who pull their hair and to their parents who feel helpless to stop the destructive behavior. Hair-pulling with psychiatric comorbidity requires comprehensive assessment and treatment, but we have found that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) alone can help children and adolescents with uncomplicated TTM.

This article describes a typical patient with adolescent-onset mild-to-moderate TTM and the three-step CBT approach—awareness training, stimulus control, and habit reversal—that we find effective in reducing pediatric hair pulling.

Jane, age 12, was referred to our clinic by her primary doctor after an 8-week trial of fluoxetine, 80 mg/d, failed to stop her hair pulling. Jane, who is right-handed, has been pulling her hair for 2 years, mostly in the right front scalp. Her shame over the hair loss makes her reluctant to participate in social activities. A dermatologist found no medical cause for her behavior, such as alopecia or folliculitis.

Jane’s parents say she has no history of a major mood disorder or anxiety. Her hair pulling causes significant “tension and stress” for all family members.

WHY DO PATIENTS PULL HAIR?

Cognitive-behavioral theory suggests that chronic TTM originates as a normal response to stress that often escapes personal and social awareness but gradually increases in frequency and severity (Box).^1-8 Thus, hair pulling becomes associated with internal and external cues through conditioning and is maintained primarily by positive reinforcement. Hair-pulling urges that are reinforced by pulling intensify the need to pull, perpetuating the behavioral cycle.

A genetic link? Familial research has associated TTM with increased rates of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or other excessive habits—such as nail biting or skin picking—among first-degree relatives.^6,9,10 Neuroimaging of persons with TTM has shown hyperactivity in the left cerebellum and right superior parietal lobe¹¹ as well as possible structural abnormalities in the left putamen,¹² left inferior frontal gyrus, and right cluneal cortex.¹³

These findings do not necessarily indicate pre-existing brain pathology, however. Perhaps TTM leads to changes in brain structure or function, or both TTM and the brain abnormalities may be caused by another as-yet-unknown variable.

Decreased pain sensitivity. Patients with TTM often report that hair pulling is not painful,² though we suspect that persons without TTM would disagree and derive no pleasure from it. Changes in pain sensitivity may influence the reinforcing quality of pulling behavior. One possible mechanism for such alterations is upregulation of the endogenous opioid system; some intriguing evidence suggests that opioid receptor antagonists such as naltrexone may reduce pulling.¹⁴

Box

Pain tolerance at the preferred pulling site has not been studied, however. For patients who feel pain from hair pulling, the pain itself may reinforce the behavior by distracting the individual from negative emotional or physiologic states.¹⁵

CASE CONTINUED: COUNTING THE WAYS

Jane and her parents agree that she pulls her hair 5 to 8 times daily, one hair at a time with her right index finger and thumb while doing homework or watching TV. The trigger, she says, is “an itch” on her scalp; “sometimes pulling relieves the itch.” She fails to resist pulling her hair 9 out of 10 times.

Table 1

Defining hair pulling: What to ask the pediatric patient

Psychiatric comorbidity is common—if not the norm—in adults with TTM. Although axis I comorbidity is also seen in children and adolescents, their hair pulling is frequently uncomplicated. Jane meets criteria for TTM, as determined by the Trichotillomania Diagnostic Interview,¹⁶ but her history does not support a comorbid disorder. After discussing the diagnosis with Jane and her parents, the psychiatrist begins treatment with CBT alone.

MEDICATION OR CBT?

SSRIs. Literature on TTM pharmacotherapy is very limited and equivocal. Medications that have helped adults with TTM have been described,¹⁷ but the lack of a single, randomized, controlled trial in pediatric TTM severely limits treatment recommendations for children.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have shown efficacy for treating anger and other impulse control problems but not for TTM. Some practitioners use SSRIs for TTM because of the belief that TTM is a variant of OCD. However, TTM may be maintained by positive reinforcement rather than compulsive tendencies and thus may not respond to SSRIs.

CBT. Evidence on CBT justifies cautious recommendations for pediatric TTM. In randomized trials, CBT reduced hair pulling in adults and was more effective than SSRIs or placebo.^18,19

REDUCING THE URGE

Obtain detailed information about a child or adolescent’s hair-pulling episodes (Table 1), as recognizing triggers and reactions is vital to effective CBT. Explain to the patient that:

• the pleasure or satisfaction she derives from pulling reinforces the urge to pull
• she can reduce the urge by learning and using awareness training, stimulus control, and habit reversal (Table 2).

Awareness training involves patient self-monitoring to gain awareness of urges to pull and of pulling behavior. The child must become alert to every hair pulled and to response precursors, such as placing her hand on her head. For a patient such as Jane, a useful technique is to post reminders on the TV and school notebook and in the bedroom and bathroom—wherever pulling typically occurs.

A “PULLING CALENDAR”

Jane begins a daily “pulling calendar” in which she records each time she pulls a hair while watching TV or doing homework. She is asked to include the total number of hairs pulled and the intensity of the “itch to pull” on a scale of 1 to 10.

Stimulus control. Most patients can identify high-risk situations, such as time in the bathroom, talking on the phone, watching TV, driving, reading, or while falling asleep. Boredom, frustration, anxiety, and sadness may serve as pulling cues.

With stimulus control, the patient tries to reduce her ability to freely engage in pulling behavior in high-risk situations. For instance, you might encourage a child who pulls hairs while doing homework to stick Band-Aid^®-type adhesive strips on her thumb and index finger tips before she starts studying as an impediment to gripping hairs. Such “speed bumps” may allow her to delay pulling and reach for tools that assist in habit reversal.

TREATMENT THAT APPEALS

Jane agrees to apply adhesive strips to her fingers and understands why. Because she is a fan of Peter Pan, we place Peter Pan stickers on her books and notebooks and on the TV remote control as reminders not to pull.

Table 2

CBT strategies to reduce the hair-pulling urge

Habit reversal and competing response procedures provide pleasurable physical stimulation as an alternative to pulling. The most effective methods engage the same motions as used in hair pulling. Examples include sculpting with clay, hulling sunflower seeds, and playing with Koosh^® balls—small rubbery balls filled with a jellylike plasma and covered with hundreds of soft “tentacles.”

‘CALMER, HAPPIER’

We explain habit reversal to Jane and instruct her to use the Koosh ball a few times a day. She enjoys pulling its rubber strands, an action that uses the same muscles as hair pulling. Because she will need Koosh balls during all identified high-risk situations, we instruct her to buy one for her book bag and to leave one near the couch where she watches TV.

Over time, Jane reports a gradual decrease of hair pulling with the use of awareness training and stimulus control techniques. Using the Koosh ball (habit reversal) helps her improve. By the 10th week, Jane and her parents report a 70% decrease in hair pulling, based on the pulling calendar entries and other objective evidence of treatment response. All report feeling “calmer and happier.”

CONCLUSION

Cognitive and behavioral strategies are useful and safe for treating pediatric TTM. Enlisting the parents and patient in identifying problem situations and applying creative solutions may increase the chances of success.

Follow-up is important for maintaining new cognitive and behavioral patterns. We recommend that you see patients monthly for at least 3 months, depending on how the patient feels about additional sessions. We encourage families to call and report on progress or relapses. Booster CBT sessions can help deal with setbacks.

Related resources

• Trichotillomania Learning Center, Inc.; devoted to improving TTM understanding and providing access to treatments and support groups. www.trich.org. Accessed Sept. 17, 2004.
• Golomb RG, Vavrichek SM. The hair pulling “habit” and you: how to solve the trichotillomania puzzle (rev ed). Silver Spring, MD: Writer’s Cooperative of Greater Washington; 2000. Book for children and teenagers.

Drug brand names

• Fluoxetine • Prozac
• Naltrexone • Depade, ReVia

Disclosure

The authors report no financial relationship with any company whose products are mentioned in this article or with manufacturers of competing products.

Acknowledgment

Preparation of this article was supported in part by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH61457).

Primary care doctors refer patients with dementia to psychiatrists when the diagnosis or disease course is unclear. Psychiatrists thus must often discern non-Alzheimer’s dementias— particularly the vascular and Lewy body types— from Alzheimer’s dementia. This article describes:

• features that distinguish vascular, Lewy body, and Alzheimer’s dementias
• cognitive and medical tests to help determine dementia type and facilitate treatment
• risk factors that promote cognitive and functional decline
• strategies for using medication while minimizing side-effect risks.

CASE REPORT: DISRUPTIVE IN DAY CARE

Ms. Z, age 82, is referred to a psychiatrist after numerous failed attempts by her primary care physician to stop her medical and psychiatric deterioration.

Table 1

Estimated dementia type prevalence among patients with dementia

The patient was functioning well at home until 6 months ago, when her husband’s death triggered a dramatic functional decline. She has Parkinson’s disease and has had dementia symptoms for 3 years, but family members do not recall a dementia diagnosis.

Ms. Z has become increasingly disruptive in day care; she yelled at and slapped a staff member during one episode. Her son is concerned that additional outbursts will prompt her dismissal. Her Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score is 19, indicating moderate dementia.

Donepezil, 10 mg/d across 2 years, has not slowed Ms. Z’s memory decline. Carbidopa/levadopa, 25/250 mg tid over 1 year, has not improved her Parkinson’s symptoms. Risperidone, 0.5 mg bid, caused marked sedation and unsteady gait and was stopped after 4 weeks. She also is taking hydrocodone/acetaminophen, 5/500 mg/d for osteoarthritis, and lisinopril/hydrochlorothiazide, 10/12.5 mg/d for hypertension.

Discussion. As with Ms. Z, a significant other can mask a dementia patient’s cognitive deficits, but these deficits become apparent after the partner dies. Family members then discover that a parent or sibling cannot function independently.

Treatment should target Ms. Z’s aggression to allow her to stay in day care and her son to care for her at home. Determining the dementia type is crucial to planning treatment and preserving function.

WHICH DEMENTIA IS WHICH?

Non-Alzheimer’s dementias account for up to 35% of dementia cases (Table 1).¹ The pathologic correlations separating Alzheimer’s, vascular, and Lewy body dementias are often confusing:

• Beta-amyloid plaques are common in Alzheimer’s and Lewy body dementias, although neurofibrillary tangles are much less common in the Lewy body type.
• Synaptic cholinergic deficiencies are seen in Alzheimer’s and vascular dementias.
• Hypertension and hyperlipidemia—both traditional vascular risk factors—also appear to contribute to Alzheimer’s dementia.

Vascular dementia. Large, single-vessel hemispheric infarcts cause substantial damage, whereas multiple small vascular lesions (such as lacunae or mini-infarcts) can have more-subtle effects when strategically located, such as in the basal ganglia, hippocampus, or thalamus. These smaller lesions can disrupt frontal cortical-subcortical neural pathways and contribute to difficulties with executive functions (judgment, insight), emotional control, and behavior.

Lesions from a cerebrovascular accident, however, do not necessarily cause dementia, and the mechanism by which lesions cause dementia is not fully understood. Post-stroke dementia sometimes is progressive, suggesting a degenerative rather than vascular cause.

Lewy body dementia is associated with Parkinson’s disease, as Lewy body inclusion deposits are common to both disorders. The deposits typically appear in the cerebral cortex in Lewy body dementia but not in Parkinson’s.

Amyloid protein deposits alter the clinical presentation. Patients with these lesions have fewer visual hallucinations and motor problems, making diagnosis more difficult.

Lewy body dementia, like all major dementias, usually surfaces after age 75. Its clinical course generally is considered worse than that of Alzheimer’s dementia, but these two dementia types do not differ substantially in age of onset, age of death, or survival rates.

Table 2

Clinical features that characterize Lewy body dementia

FEATURES OF VASCULAR DEMENTIA

Onset can be gradual but is more often sudden— usually occurring shortly after an ischemic stroke. Disease progression can be gradual or dramatic, depending on the vascular event type. Cognitive and physical decline in vascular dementia usually is stepwise over time, whereas decline in Alzheimer’s dementia is more gradual with progressive severity.

Patients with vascular dementia classically present with memory loss temporally associated with other typical stroke stigmata. Brain imaging often uncovers evidence of stroke that is otherwise not clinically evident.

CNS manifestations of vascular dementia often include memory loss, emotional lability (including depression), and executive-task dysfunction. Patients usually have atrial fibrillation or vascular risk factors, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, or tobacco use. Patients with previous stroke, coronary artery disease, or peripheral vascular disease are at increased risk.

Vascular dementia is categorized by stroke type:

Embolic infarct. Emboli, typically cardiac in origin, can occlude small or large cerebral arteries, resulting in correspondingly sized infarcts. Atrial fibrillation can promote areas in the atria with relatively low flow turbulence. Blood clots can form that eventually embolize via the carotid arteries. Multiple emboli can occur, causing progressive dementia.

Cerebral hemorrhage —small or large—can be devastating. Hypertension is the major risk factor for this form of stroke.

Multi-infarct dementia. Multiple cerebral blood vessel infarcts classically lead to stepwise functional decline after each event. Multiple small infarcts can occur in various brain regions, including the cortex and basal ganglia. Binswanger’s disease, a variant of vascular dementia in which incomplete ischemia is limited to the hemispheric white matter, tends to be fairly progressive.²

Small-vessel disease. Reduced blood flow and tissue perfusion can cause small-vessel disease. Often the ischemia is “silent,” detectable only on MRI or CT. The infarcts typically cause lacunar lesions, nerve demyelination, and gliosis.³ These can occur to some extent in nondemented patients but become significant with more-extensive disease.

FEATURES OF LEWY BODY DEMENTIA

As with all dementias, permanent memory loss must be present to diagnose this dementia sub-type. Overall cognitive deficits may be more prominent than memory loss, however. The patient may have trouble performing cognitive tasks that employ visuospatial abilities, executive functions, and attention. Neuropsychiatric symptoms that overlap with Alzheimer’s dementia include apathy, anxiety, agitation, depression, anhedonia, and paranoia.

The presence of visual hallucinations, fluctuating cognition, or extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) distinguish Lewy body from Alzheimer’s dementia.

Visual hallucinations are prominent in Lewy body dementia and often prompt psychiatric referral (Table 2). They usually surface early in the disease course and tend to persist. Other sensory hallucinations also can occur.

The hallucinations often are detailed and vivid and the patient may be aware they are occurring, especially if the dementia is not advanced. Treatment might not be necessary for mild hallucinations, which can concern the caregiver more than the patient.

Antipsychotics paradoxically worsen hallucinations in Lewy body dementia, and many patients present to psychiatrists after failing an empiric trial. A failed antipsychotic course in a patient diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia could indicate that the diagnosis is incorrect.

Fluctuating cognition occurs in 50% to 75% of Lewy body cases. Alertness, attention, and concentration are variable and can cycle within hours to weeks. The patient often is fairly interactive and social for a time, then has periods of diminished function and being “out of it.” Some patients have recurrent delirium and undergo multiple workups in search of a cause.

EPS. As many as 75% of Lewy body patients have parkinsonian motor features.⁴ Because these features are not essential to the diagnosis, their absence is the most common reason Lewy body dementia goes unrecognized.¹

Motor involvement varies and can be worsened by antipsychotics. Overuse of antipsychotics in Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia also can cause motor symptoms that mimic Lewy body features.

EPS orientation tends to be axial, showing less facial expressivity and more postural imbalance. Peripheral signs such as tremor and extremity rigidity tend to be less dominant.

MAKING THE DIAGNOSIS

Vascular and Lewy body dementia diagnoses are primarily based on clinical features and findings. Memory loss is necessary for either diagnosis.

Vascular dementia. Most consensus criteria require presence of dementia, physical or radiologic signs of a stroke, and a temporal relationship between the stroke and the dementia for a vascular dementia diagnosis.

Hachinski’s “ischemia scale” can help differentiate multi-infarct from Alzheimer’s dementia.⁵ Cases are scored on a 0-to-9 scale, with point values for abrupt onset; stepwise course; history of stroke; and presence of somatic complaints, emotional lability, hypertension, and focal neurologic signs. A score ≥4 suggests vascular dementia.

The scale, however, does not account for imaging studies, vascular risk factors other than hypertension, or repeated silent strokes that can cause symptoms. Also, some patients who score below the cutoff have strategic infarct dementias.

Lewy body dementia. Clinical consensus guidelines developed by McKeith et al⁶ can help clinicians recognize and categorize this dementia type (Table 2). Several studies of diagnostic criteria have shown very good specificity but variable sensitivity.⁷ Because no standard imaging modalities or serum markers exist, presence of progressive memory loss, fluctuating cognition, visual hallucinations, and EPS should drive the diagnosis.

Lewy body dementia is commonly misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s dementia. The two types are readily differentiated by onset of memory loss, which emerges late in Parkinson’s dementia but is early and prominent in Lewy body dementia.

CASE CONTINUED: HISTORY LEADS TO DIAGNOSIS

Ms. Z was diagnosed as having Lewy body dementia, as her cognitive decline clearly preceded her motor deficits. Further questioning revealed fluctuating attention levels and a history of visual hallucinations.

TESTING PATIENT FUNCTION

Neuropsychiatric tests. DSM-IV recommends testing memory, orientation, language, praxis, constructional ability, and executive control function in patients with dementia. Numerous tests can aid in diagnosis, but they generally are too lengthy to be practical. The MMSE takes 5 to 10 minutes, but it might miss mild memory loss or executive dysfunction.

Giving a quick clock-drawing test in tandem with the MMSE can help measure basic executive control and constructional ability. Also, patients with Lewy body or vascular dementia often are more proficient than patients with Alzheimer’s dementia on verbal memory tests but less proficient on visuospatial performance. Consider referring clinically challenging patients for more-extensive neuropsychiatric testing.

Lab tests. Blood tests including TSH and B¹²/folate screens are usually performed but rarely positive. Rapid plasma reagin testing for syphilis is no longer recommended unless syphilis is suspected.

Table 3

Potential cognitive side effects associated with psychotropic classes*

Radiologic imaging. Radiologic imaging (MRI or CT) can show infarcts in vascular dementia and can rule out:

• a brain tumor
• a subdural hemorrhage after recent head trauma
• or normal-pressure hydrocephalus in patients with dementia, gait instability, and/or urinary incontinence.

Brain imaging in Lewy body dementia can show hippocampal preservation⁸ but is not specific and does not significantly support the diagnosis. Specialized tests such as single-photon emission computed tomography or positron-emission tomography show occipital hypoperfusion⁹ but are expensive, not sufficiently specific, and do not add substantial value over clinical criteria.

MANAGING SYMPTOMS

Medication may be necessary if the patient is frequently and significantly agitated. Consider prescribing a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, an anticonvulsant such as divalproex or carbamazepine as a mood stabilizer, or a short-acting benzodiazepine. Start low and titrate slowly if needed.

Find out if the patient is taking medications that may be causing bothersome side effects. Avoid agents with potential cognitive or anticholinergic effects (Table 3); the latter can cause confusion, sedation, and falls in the elderly.

Cholinesterase inhibitors, FDA-approved for use in Alzheimer’s dementia, have been shown to reduce cognitive and global functioning decline in vascular dementia.¹⁰ A cholinergic deficit present in vascular dementia may explain the drugs’ effectiveness. Donepezil, galantamine, and rivastigmine have all shown positive effects on cognition.

Because patients with Lewy body hallucinations have greater synaptic acetylcholine deficits, cholinesterase inhibitors tend to be more effective in Lewy body dementia than in other dementia subtypes. In small open-label studies, patients taking cholinesterase inhibitors for Lewy body dementia have shown sustained improvements (up to 96 months) in cognition and behavior. Wild et al,¹¹ however, concluded that the evidence supporting use of these agents—specifically rivastigmine—is weak.

Also, cholinesterase inhibitors offer fairly modest effectiveness, do not work for all patients, and do not prevent cognitive decline even when taken regularly. Because cholinesterase inhibitors are costly and most Medicare patients lack prescription medication coverage, an initial short (6-month) trial is recommended. Re-evaluate the patient periodically by using caregiver reports, caregiver assessment scales, and basic cognitive testing.

Cholinesterase inhibitor dosing is the same for vascular and Lewy body dementia as it is for Alzheimer’s disease. Tell patients to take the agents with food to minimize potential intestinal side effects.

Memantine. In European studies, memantine has shown positive effects on cognition and function in vascular dementia. Memantine, a N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, is FDA-approved for moderate to severe Alzheimer’s dementia.¹²

DELAYING DECLINE

Controlling risk factors. Controlling vascular risk factors—especially high blood pressure—is the most effective way to prevent or treat vascular dementia. In primary prevention studies, patients with good hypertension and hyperlipidemia control developed dementia more slowly than did nontreated cohorts.

In patients with coronary artery disease, statins have been shown to lower cholesterol and stabilize pre-existing plaques in the arterial wall, reducing the risk of plaque rupture. Low-density lipoproteincholesterol goals vary according to vascular risk factors but should be <100 mg/dL for patients with vascular dementia, who are at highest risk. Blood pressure goals are ≤140 mm Hg (systolic) and ≤90 mm Hg (diastolic).

Glycemic control (fasting blood glucose <110 mg/dL) and smoking cessation can also reduce the risk of further vascular events. Most patients should be taking an antiplatelet medication, preferably aspirin, to reduce clotting risk.

Although Lewy body dementia has no known risk factors other than age, research will determine whether vascular or other factors contribute to its development.

CASE CONTINUED: TARGETING AGGRESSION

Ms. Z was given divalproex, 250 mg bid, to reduce her frequent aggression. Her visual hallucinations were considered mild and not problematic and therefore were not treated. She responded well to the medication, allowing her to remain in day care and avoid nursing home placement.

Related resources

• Alzheimer’s Association. http://www.alz.org
• American Geriatrics Society. http://www.americangeriatrics.org

Drug brand names

• Carbamazepine • Tegretol, others
• Carbidopa/Levodopa • Various
• Divalproex • Depakote
• Donepezil • Aricept
• Galantamine • Reminyl
• Hydrocodone/acetaminophen • Vicodin, others
• Lisinopril/hydrochlorothiazide • Prinzide, Zestoretic
• Memantine • Namenda
• Risperdone • Risperdal
• Rivastigmine • Exelon

Disclosure

Dr. Bartz is a speaker for Forest Pharmaceuticals and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.

Primary care doctors refer patients with dementia to psychiatrists when the diagnosis or disease course is unclear. Psychiatrists thus must often discern non-Alzheimer’s dementias— particularly the vascular and Lewy body types— from Alzheimer’s dementia. This article describes:

• features that distinguish vascular, Lewy body, and Alzheimer’s dementias
• cognitive and medical tests to help determine dementia type and facilitate treatment
• risk factors that promote cognitive and functional decline
• strategies for using medication while minimizing side-effect risks.

CASE REPORT: DISRUPTIVE IN DAY CARE

Ms. Z, age 82, is referred to a psychiatrist after numerous failed attempts by her primary care physician to stop her medical and psychiatric deterioration.

Table 1

Estimated dementia type prevalence among patients with dementia

The patient was functioning well at home until 6 months ago, when her husband’s death triggered a dramatic functional decline. She has Parkinson’s disease and has had dementia symptoms for 3 years, but family members do not recall a dementia diagnosis.

Ms. Z has become increasingly disruptive in day care; she yelled at and slapped a staff member during one episode. Her son is concerned that additional outbursts will prompt her dismissal. Her Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score is 19, indicating moderate dementia.

Donepezil, 10 mg/d across 2 years, has not slowed Ms. Z’s memory decline. Carbidopa/levadopa, 25/250 mg tid over 1 year, has not improved her Parkinson’s symptoms. Risperidone, 0.5 mg bid, caused marked sedation and unsteady gait and was stopped after 4 weeks. She also is taking hydrocodone/acetaminophen, 5/500 mg/d for osteoarthritis, and lisinopril/hydrochlorothiazide, 10/12.5 mg/d for hypertension.

Discussion. As with Ms. Z, a significant other can mask a dementia patient’s cognitive deficits, but these deficits become apparent after the partner dies. Family members then discover that a parent or sibling cannot function independently.

Treatment should target Ms. Z’s aggression to allow her to stay in day care and her son to care for her at home. Determining the dementia type is crucial to planning treatment and preserving function.

WHICH DEMENTIA IS WHICH?

Non-Alzheimer’s dementias account for up to 35% of dementia cases (Table 1).¹ The pathologic correlations separating Alzheimer’s, vascular, and Lewy body dementias are often confusing:

• Beta-amyloid plaques are common in Alzheimer’s and Lewy body dementias, although neurofibrillary tangles are much less common in the Lewy body type.
• Synaptic cholinergic deficiencies are seen in Alzheimer’s and vascular dementias.
• Hypertension and hyperlipidemia—both traditional vascular risk factors—also appear to contribute to Alzheimer’s dementia.

Vascular dementia. Large, single-vessel hemispheric infarcts cause substantial damage, whereas multiple small vascular lesions (such as lacunae or mini-infarcts) can have more-subtle effects when strategically located, such as in the basal ganglia, hippocampus, or thalamus. These smaller lesions can disrupt frontal cortical-subcortical neural pathways and contribute to difficulties with executive functions (judgment, insight), emotional control, and behavior.

Lesions from a cerebrovascular accident, however, do not necessarily cause dementia, and the mechanism by which lesions cause dementia is not fully understood. Post-stroke dementia sometimes is progressive, suggesting a degenerative rather than vascular cause.

Lewy body dementia is associated with Parkinson’s disease, as Lewy body inclusion deposits are common to both disorders. The deposits typically appear in the cerebral cortex in Lewy body dementia but not in Parkinson’s.

Amyloid protein deposits alter the clinical presentation. Patients with these lesions have fewer visual hallucinations and motor problems, making diagnosis more difficult.

Lewy body dementia, like all major dementias, usually surfaces after age 75. Its clinical course generally is considered worse than that of Alzheimer’s dementia, but these two dementia types do not differ substantially in age of onset, age of death, or survival rates.

Table 2

Clinical features that characterize Lewy body dementia

FEATURES OF VASCULAR DEMENTIA

Onset can be gradual but is more often sudden— usually occurring shortly after an ischemic stroke. Disease progression can be gradual or dramatic, depending on the vascular event type. Cognitive and physical decline in vascular dementia usually is stepwise over time, whereas decline in Alzheimer’s dementia is more gradual with progressive severity.

Patients with vascular dementia classically present with memory loss temporally associated with other typical stroke stigmata. Brain imaging often uncovers evidence of stroke that is otherwise not clinically evident.

CNS manifestations of vascular dementia often include memory loss, emotional lability (including depression), and executive-task dysfunction. Patients usually have atrial fibrillation or vascular risk factors, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, or tobacco use. Patients with previous stroke, coronary artery disease, or peripheral vascular disease are at increased risk.

Vascular dementia is categorized by stroke type:

Embolic infarct. Emboli, typically cardiac in origin, can occlude small or large cerebral arteries, resulting in correspondingly sized infarcts. Atrial fibrillation can promote areas in the atria with relatively low flow turbulence. Blood clots can form that eventually embolize via the carotid arteries. Multiple emboli can occur, causing progressive dementia.

Cerebral hemorrhage —small or large—can be devastating. Hypertension is the major risk factor for this form of stroke.

Multi-infarct dementia. Multiple cerebral blood vessel infarcts classically lead to stepwise functional decline after each event. Multiple small infarcts can occur in various brain regions, including the cortex and basal ganglia. Binswanger’s disease, a variant of vascular dementia in which incomplete ischemia is limited to the hemispheric white matter, tends to be fairly progressive.²

Small-vessel disease. Reduced blood flow and tissue perfusion can cause small-vessel disease. Often the ischemia is “silent,” detectable only on MRI or CT. The infarcts typically cause lacunar lesions, nerve demyelination, and gliosis.³ These can occur to some extent in nondemented patients but become significant with more-extensive disease.

FEATURES OF LEWY BODY DEMENTIA

As with all dementias, permanent memory loss must be present to diagnose this dementia sub-type. Overall cognitive deficits may be more prominent than memory loss, however. The patient may have trouble performing cognitive tasks that employ visuospatial abilities, executive functions, and attention. Neuropsychiatric symptoms that overlap with Alzheimer’s dementia include apathy, anxiety, agitation, depression, anhedonia, and paranoia.

The presence of visual hallucinations, fluctuating cognition, or extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) distinguish Lewy body from Alzheimer’s dementia.

Visual hallucinations are prominent in Lewy body dementia and often prompt psychiatric referral (Table 2). They usually surface early in the disease course and tend to persist. Other sensory hallucinations also can occur.

The hallucinations often are detailed and vivid and the patient may be aware they are occurring, especially if the dementia is not advanced. Treatment might not be necessary for mild hallucinations, which can concern the caregiver more than the patient.

Antipsychotics paradoxically worsen hallucinations in Lewy body dementia, and many patients present to psychiatrists after failing an empiric trial. A failed antipsychotic course in a patient diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia could indicate that the diagnosis is incorrect.

Fluctuating cognition occurs in 50% to 75% of Lewy body cases. Alertness, attention, and concentration are variable and can cycle within hours to weeks. The patient often is fairly interactive and social for a time, then has periods of diminished function and being “out of it.” Some patients have recurrent delirium and undergo multiple workups in search of a cause.

EPS. As many as 75% of Lewy body patients have parkinsonian motor features.⁴ Because these features are not essential to the diagnosis, their absence is the most common reason Lewy body dementia goes unrecognized.¹

Motor involvement varies and can be worsened by antipsychotics. Overuse of antipsychotics in Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia also can cause motor symptoms that mimic Lewy body features.

EPS orientation tends to be axial, showing less facial expressivity and more postural imbalance. Peripheral signs such as tremor and extremity rigidity tend to be less dominant.

MAKING THE DIAGNOSIS

Vascular and Lewy body dementia diagnoses are primarily based on clinical features and findings. Memory loss is necessary for either diagnosis.

Vascular dementia. Most consensus criteria require presence of dementia, physical or radiologic signs of a stroke, and a temporal relationship between the stroke and the dementia for a vascular dementia diagnosis.

Hachinski’s “ischemia scale” can help differentiate multi-infarct from Alzheimer’s dementia.⁵ Cases are scored on a 0-to-9 scale, with point values for abrupt onset; stepwise course; history of stroke; and presence of somatic complaints, emotional lability, hypertension, and focal neurologic signs. A score ≥4 suggests vascular dementia.

The scale, however, does not account for imaging studies, vascular risk factors other than hypertension, or repeated silent strokes that can cause symptoms. Also, some patients who score below the cutoff have strategic infarct dementias.

Lewy body dementia. Clinical consensus guidelines developed by McKeith et al⁶ can help clinicians recognize and categorize this dementia type (Table 2). Several studies of diagnostic criteria have shown very good specificity but variable sensitivity.⁷ Because no standard imaging modalities or serum markers exist, presence of progressive memory loss, fluctuating cognition, visual hallucinations, and EPS should drive the diagnosis.

Lewy body dementia is commonly misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s dementia. The two types are readily differentiated by onset of memory loss, which emerges late in Parkinson’s dementia but is early and prominent in Lewy body dementia.

CASE CONTINUED: HISTORY LEADS TO DIAGNOSIS

Ms. Z was diagnosed as having Lewy body dementia, as her cognitive decline clearly preceded her motor deficits. Further questioning revealed fluctuating attention levels and a history of visual hallucinations.

TESTING PATIENT FUNCTION

Neuropsychiatric tests. DSM-IV recommends testing memory, orientation, language, praxis, constructional ability, and executive control function in patients with dementia. Numerous tests can aid in diagnosis, but they generally are too lengthy to be practical. The MMSE takes 5 to 10 minutes, but it might miss mild memory loss or executive dysfunction.

Giving a quick clock-drawing test in tandem with the MMSE can help measure basic executive control and constructional ability. Also, patients with Lewy body or vascular dementia often are more proficient than patients with Alzheimer’s dementia on verbal memory tests but less proficient on visuospatial performance. Consider referring clinically challenging patients for more-extensive neuropsychiatric testing.

Lab tests. Blood tests including TSH and B¹²/folate screens are usually performed but rarely positive. Rapid plasma reagin testing for syphilis is no longer recommended unless syphilis is suspected.

Table 3

Potential cognitive side effects associated with psychotropic classes*

Radiologic imaging. Radiologic imaging (MRI or CT) can show infarcts in vascular dementia and can rule out:

• a brain tumor
• a subdural hemorrhage after recent head trauma
• or normal-pressure hydrocephalus in patients with dementia, gait instability, and/or urinary incontinence.

Brain imaging in Lewy body dementia can show hippocampal preservation⁸ but is not specific and does not significantly support the diagnosis. Specialized tests such as single-photon emission computed tomography or positron-emission tomography show occipital hypoperfusion⁹ but are expensive, not sufficiently specific, and do not add substantial value over clinical criteria.

MANAGING SYMPTOMS

Medication may be necessary if the patient is frequently and significantly agitated. Consider prescribing a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, an anticonvulsant such as divalproex or carbamazepine as a mood stabilizer, or a short-acting benzodiazepine. Start low and titrate slowly if needed.

Find out if the patient is taking medications that may be causing bothersome side effects. Avoid agents with potential cognitive or anticholinergic effects (Table 3); the latter can cause confusion, sedation, and falls in the elderly.

Cholinesterase inhibitors, FDA-approved for use in Alzheimer’s dementia, have been shown to reduce cognitive and global functioning decline in vascular dementia.¹⁰ A cholinergic deficit present in vascular dementia may explain the drugs’ effectiveness. Donepezil, galantamine, and rivastigmine have all shown positive effects on cognition.

Because patients with Lewy body hallucinations have greater synaptic acetylcholine deficits, cholinesterase inhibitors tend to be more effective in Lewy body dementia than in other dementia subtypes. In small open-label studies, patients taking cholinesterase inhibitors for Lewy body dementia have shown sustained improvements (up to 96 months) in cognition and behavior. Wild et al,¹¹ however, concluded that the evidence supporting use of these agents—specifically rivastigmine—is weak.

Also, cholinesterase inhibitors offer fairly modest effectiveness, do not work for all patients, and do not prevent cognitive decline even when taken regularly. Because cholinesterase inhibitors are costly and most Medicare patients lack prescription medication coverage, an initial short (6-month) trial is recommended. Re-evaluate the patient periodically by using caregiver reports, caregiver assessment scales, and basic cognitive testing.

Cholinesterase inhibitor dosing is the same for vascular and Lewy body dementia as it is for Alzheimer’s disease. Tell patients to take the agents with food to minimize potential intestinal side effects.

Memantine. In European studies, memantine has shown positive effects on cognition and function in vascular dementia. Memantine, a N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, is FDA-approved for moderate to severe Alzheimer’s dementia.¹²

DELAYING DECLINE

Controlling risk factors. Controlling vascular risk factors—especially high blood pressure—is the most effective way to prevent or treat vascular dementia. In primary prevention studies, patients with good hypertension and hyperlipidemia control developed dementia more slowly than did nontreated cohorts.

In patients with coronary artery disease, statins have been shown to lower cholesterol and stabilize pre-existing plaques in the arterial wall, reducing the risk of plaque rupture. Low-density lipoproteincholesterol goals vary according to vascular risk factors but should be <100 mg/dL for patients with vascular dementia, who are at highest risk. Blood pressure goals are ≤140 mm Hg (systolic) and ≤90 mm Hg (diastolic).

Glycemic control (fasting blood glucose <110 mg/dL) and smoking cessation can also reduce the risk of further vascular events. Most patients should be taking an antiplatelet medication, preferably aspirin, to reduce clotting risk.

Although Lewy body dementia has no known risk factors other than age, research will determine whether vascular or other factors contribute to its development.

CASE CONTINUED: TARGETING AGGRESSION

Ms. Z was given divalproex, 250 mg bid, to reduce her frequent aggression. Her visual hallucinations were considered mild and not problematic and therefore were not treated. She responded well to the medication, allowing her to remain in day care and avoid nursing home placement.

Related resources

• Alzheimer’s Association. http://www.alz.org
• American Geriatrics Society. http://www.americangeriatrics.org

Drug brand names

• Carbamazepine • Tegretol, others
• Carbidopa/Levodopa • Various
• Divalproex • Depakote
• Donepezil • Aricept
• Galantamine • Reminyl
• Hydrocodone/acetaminophen • Vicodin, others
• Lisinopril/hydrochlorothiazide • Prinzide, Zestoretic
• Memantine • Namenda
• Risperdone • Risperdal
• Rivastigmine • Exelon

Disclosure

Dr. Bartz is a speaker for Forest Pharmaceuticals and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.

Primary care doctors refer patients with dementia to psychiatrists when the diagnosis or disease course is unclear. Psychiatrists thus must often discern non-Alzheimer’s dementias— particularly the vascular and Lewy body types— from Alzheimer’s dementia. This article describes:

• features that distinguish vascular, Lewy body, and Alzheimer’s dementias
• cognitive and medical tests to help determine dementia type and facilitate treatment
• risk factors that promote cognitive and functional decline
• strategies for using medication while minimizing side-effect risks.

CASE REPORT: DISRUPTIVE IN DAY CARE

Ms. Z, age 82, is referred to a psychiatrist after numerous failed attempts by her primary care physician to stop her medical and psychiatric deterioration.

Table 1

Estimated dementia type prevalence among patients with dementia

The patient was functioning well at home until 6 months ago, when her husband’s death triggered a dramatic functional decline. She has Parkinson’s disease and has had dementia symptoms for 3 years, but family members do not recall a dementia diagnosis.

Ms. Z has become increasingly disruptive in day care; she yelled at and slapped a staff member during one episode. Her son is concerned that additional outbursts will prompt her dismissal. Her Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score is 19, indicating moderate dementia.

Donepezil, 10 mg/d across 2 years, has not slowed Ms. Z’s memory decline. Carbidopa/levadopa, 25/250 mg tid over 1 year, has not improved her Parkinson’s symptoms. Risperidone, 0.5 mg bid, caused marked sedation and unsteady gait and was stopped after 4 weeks. She also is taking hydrocodone/acetaminophen, 5/500 mg/d for osteoarthritis, and lisinopril/hydrochlorothiazide, 10/12.5 mg/d for hypertension.

Discussion. As with Ms. Z, a significant other can mask a dementia patient’s cognitive deficits, but these deficits become apparent after the partner dies. Family members then discover that a parent or sibling cannot function independently.

Treatment should target Ms. Z’s aggression to allow her to stay in day care and her son to care for her at home. Determining the dementia type is crucial to planning treatment and preserving function.

WHICH DEMENTIA IS WHICH?

Non-Alzheimer’s dementias account for up to 35% of dementia cases (Table 1).¹ The pathologic correlations separating Alzheimer’s, vascular, and Lewy body dementias are often confusing:

• Beta-amyloid plaques are common in Alzheimer’s and Lewy body dementias, although neurofibrillary tangles are much less common in the Lewy body type.
• Synaptic cholinergic deficiencies are seen in Alzheimer’s and vascular dementias.
• Hypertension and hyperlipidemia—both traditional vascular risk factors—also appear to contribute to Alzheimer’s dementia.

Vascular dementia. Large, single-vessel hemispheric infarcts cause substantial damage, whereas multiple small vascular lesions (such as lacunae or mini-infarcts) can have more-subtle effects when strategically located, such as in the basal ganglia, hippocampus, or thalamus. These smaller lesions can disrupt frontal cortical-subcortical neural pathways and contribute to difficulties with executive functions (judgment, insight), emotional control, and behavior.

Lesions from a cerebrovascular accident, however, do not necessarily cause dementia, and the mechanism by which lesions cause dementia is not fully understood. Post-stroke dementia sometimes is progressive, suggesting a degenerative rather than vascular cause.

Lewy body dementia is associated with Parkinson’s disease, as Lewy body inclusion deposits are common to both disorders. The deposits typically appear in the cerebral cortex in Lewy body dementia but not in Parkinson’s.

Amyloid protein deposits alter the clinical presentation. Patients with these lesions have fewer visual hallucinations and motor problems, making diagnosis more difficult.

Lewy body dementia, like all major dementias, usually surfaces after age 75. Its clinical course generally is considered worse than that of Alzheimer’s dementia, but these two dementia types do not differ substantially in age of onset, age of death, or survival rates.

Table 2

Clinical features that characterize Lewy body dementia

FEATURES OF VASCULAR DEMENTIA

Onset can be gradual but is more often sudden— usually occurring shortly after an ischemic stroke. Disease progression can be gradual or dramatic, depending on the vascular event type. Cognitive and physical decline in vascular dementia usually is stepwise over time, whereas decline in Alzheimer’s dementia is more gradual with progressive severity.

Patients with vascular dementia classically present with memory loss temporally associated with other typical stroke stigmata. Brain imaging often uncovers evidence of stroke that is otherwise not clinically evident.

CNS manifestations of vascular dementia often include memory loss, emotional lability (including depression), and executive-task dysfunction. Patients usually have atrial fibrillation or vascular risk factors, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, or tobacco use. Patients with previous stroke, coronary artery disease, or peripheral vascular disease are at increased risk.

Vascular dementia is categorized by stroke type:

Embolic infarct. Emboli, typically cardiac in origin, can occlude small or large cerebral arteries, resulting in correspondingly sized infarcts. Atrial fibrillation can promote areas in the atria with relatively low flow turbulence. Blood clots can form that eventually embolize via the carotid arteries. Multiple emboli can occur, causing progressive dementia.

Cerebral hemorrhage —small or large—can be devastating. Hypertension is the major risk factor for this form of stroke.

Multi-infarct dementia. Multiple cerebral blood vessel infarcts classically lead to stepwise functional decline after each event. Multiple small infarcts can occur in various brain regions, including the cortex and basal ganglia. Binswanger’s disease, a variant of vascular dementia in which incomplete ischemia is limited to the hemispheric white matter, tends to be fairly progressive.²

Small-vessel disease. Reduced blood flow and tissue perfusion can cause small-vessel disease. Often the ischemia is “silent,” detectable only on MRI or CT. The infarcts typically cause lacunar lesions, nerve demyelination, and gliosis.³ These can occur to some extent in nondemented patients but become significant with more-extensive disease.

FEATURES OF LEWY BODY DEMENTIA

As with all dementias, permanent memory loss must be present to diagnose this dementia sub-type. Overall cognitive deficits may be more prominent than memory loss, however. The patient may have trouble performing cognitive tasks that employ visuospatial abilities, executive functions, and attention. Neuropsychiatric symptoms that overlap with Alzheimer’s dementia include apathy, anxiety, agitation, depression, anhedonia, and paranoia.

The presence of visual hallucinations, fluctuating cognition, or extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) distinguish Lewy body from Alzheimer’s dementia.

Visual hallucinations are prominent in Lewy body dementia and often prompt psychiatric referral (Table 2). They usually surface early in the disease course and tend to persist. Other sensory hallucinations also can occur.

The hallucinations often are detailed and vivid and the patient may be aware they are occurring, especially if the dementia is not advanced. Treatment might not be necessary for mild hallucinations, which can concern the caregiver more than the patient.

Antipsychotics paradoxically worsen hallucinations in Lewy body dementia, and many patients present to psychiatrists after failing an empiric trial. A failed antipsychotic course in a patient diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia could indicate that the diagnosis is incorrect.

Fluctuating cognition occurs in 50% to 75% of Lewy body cases. Alertness, attention, and concentration are variable and can cycle within hours to weeks. The patient often is fairly interactive and social for a time, then has periods of diminished function and being “out of it.” Some patients have recurrent delirium and undergo multiple workups in search of a cause.

EPS. As many as 75% of Lewy body patients have parkinsonian motor features.⁴ Because these features are not essential to the diagnosis, their absence is the most common reason Lewy body dementia goes unrecognized.¹

Motor involvement varies and can be worsened by antipsychotics. Overuse of antipsychotics in Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia also can cause motor symptoms that mimic Lewy body features.

EPS orientation tends to be axial, showing less facial expressivity and more postural imbalance. Peripheral signs such as tremor and extremity rigidity tend to be less dominant.

MAKING THE DIAGNOSIS

Vascular and Lewy body dementia diagnoses are primarily based on clinical features and findings. Memory loss is necessary for either diagnosis.

Vascular dementia. Most consensus criteria require presence of dementia, physical or radiologic signs of a stroke, and a temporal relationship between the stroke and the dementia for a vascular dementia diagnosis.

Hachinski’s “ischemia scale” can help differentiate multi-infarct from Alzheimer’s dementia.⁵ Cases are scored on a 0-to-9 scale, with point values for abrupt onset; stepwise course; history of stroke; and presence of somatic complaints, emotional lability, hypertension, and focal neurologic signs. A score ≥4 suggests vascular dementia.

The scale, however, does not account for imaging studies, vascular risk factors other than hypertension, or repeated silent strokes that can cause symptoms. Also, some patients who score below the cutoff have strategic infarct dementias.

Lewy body dementia. Clinical consensus guidelines developed by McKeith et al⁶ can help clinicians recognize and categorize this dementia type (Table 2). Several studies of diagnostic criteria have shown very good specificity but variable sensitivity.⁷ Because no standard imaging modalities or serum markers exist, presence of progressive memory loss, fluctuating cognition, visual hallucinations, and EPS should drive the diagnosis.

Lewy body dementia is commonly misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s dementia. The two types are readily differentiated by onset of memory loss, which emerges late in Parkinson’s dementia but is early and prominent in Lewy body dementia.

CASE CONTINUED: HISTORY LEADS TO DIAGNOSIS

Ms. Z was diagnosed as having Lewy body dementia, as her cognitive decline clearly preceded her motor deficits. Further questioning revealed fluctuating attention levels and a history of visual hallucinations.

TESTING PATIENT FUNCTION

Neuropsychiatric tests. DSM-IV recommends testing memory, orientation, language, praxis, constructional ability, and executive control function in patients with dementia. Numerous tests can aid in diagnosis, but they generally are too lengthy to be practical. The MMSE takes 5 to 10 minutes, but it might miss mild memory loss or executive dysfunction.

Giving a quick clock-drawing test in tandem with the MMSE can help measure basic executive control and constructional ability. Also, patients with Lewy body or vascular dementia often are more proficient than patients with Alzheimer’s dementia on verbal memory tests but less proficient on visuospatial performance. Consider referring clinically challenging patients for more-extensive neuropsychiatric testing.

Lab tests. Blood tests including TSH and B¹²/folate screens are usually performed but rarely positive. Rapid plasma reagin testing for syphilis is no longer recommended unless syphilis is suspected.

Table 3

Potential cognitive side effects associated with psychotropic classes*

Radiologic imaging. Radiologic imaging (MRI or CT) can show infarcts in vascular dementia and can rule out:

• a brain tumor
• a subdural hemorrhage after recent head trauma
• or normal-pressure hydrocephalus in patients with dementia, gait instability, and/or urinary incontinence.

Brain imaging in Lewy body dementia can show hippocampal preservation⁸ but is not specific and does not significantly support the diagnosis. Specialized tests such as single-photon emission computed tomography or positron-emission tomography show occipital hypoperfusion⁹ but are expensive, not sufficiently specific, and do not add substantial value over clinical criteria.

MANAGING SYMPTOMS

Medication may be necessary if the patient is frequently and significantly agitated. Consider prescribing a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, an anticonvulsant such as divalproex or carbamazepine as a mood stabilizer, or a short-acting benzodiazepine. Start low and titrate slowly if needed.

Find out if the patient is taking medications that may be causing bothersome side effects. Avoid agents with potential cognitive or anticholinergic effects (Table 3); the latter can cause confusion, sedation, and falls in the elderly.

Cholinesterase inhibitors, FDA-approved for use in Alzheimer’s dementia, have been shown to reduce cognitive and global functioning decline in vascular dementia.¹⁰ A cholinergic deficit present in vascular dementia may explain the drugs’ effectiveness. Donepezil, galantamine, and rivastigmine have all shown positive effects on cognition.

Because patients with Lewy body hallucinations have greater synaptic acetylcholine deficits, cholinesterase inhibitors tend to be more effective in Lewy body dementia than in other dementia subtypes. In small open-label studies, patients taking cholinesterase inhibitors for Lewy body dementia have shown sustained improvements (up to 96 months) in cognition and behavior. Wild et al,¹¹ however, concluded that the evidence supporting use of these agents—specifically rivastigmine—is weak.

Also, cholinesterase inhibitors offer fairly modest effectiveness, do not work for all patients, and do not prevent cognitive decline even when taken regularly. Because cholinesterase inhibitors are costly and most Medicare patients lack prescription medication coverage, an initial short (6-month) trial is recommended. Re-evaluate the patient periodically by using caregiver reports, caregiver assessment scales, and basic cognitive testing.

Cholinesterase inhibitor dosing is the same for vascular and Lewy body dementia as it is for Alzheimer’s disease. Tell patients to take the agents with food to minimize potential intestinal side effects.

Memantine. In European studies, memantine has shown positive effects on cognition and function in vascular dementia. Memantine, a N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, is FDA-approved for moderate to severe Alzheimer’s dementia.¹²

DELAYING DECLINE

Controlling risk factors. Controlling vascular risk factors—especially high blood pressure—is the most effective way to prevent or treat vascular dementia. In primary prevention studies, patients with good hypertension and hyperlipidemia control developed dementia more slowly than did nontreated cohorts.

In patients with coronary artery disease, statins have been shown to lower cholesterol and stabilize pre-existing plaques in the arterial wall, reducing the risk of plaque rupture. Low-density lipoproteincholesterol goals vary according to vascular risk factors but should be <100 mg/dL for patients with vascular dementia, who are at highest risk. Blood pressure goals are ≤140 mm Hg (systolic) and ≤90 mm Hg (diastolic).

Glycemic control (fasting blood glucose <110 mg/dL) and smoking cessation can also reduce the risk of further vascular events. Most patients should be taking an antiplatelet medication, preferably aspirin, to reduce clotting risk.

Although Lewy body dementia has no known risk factors other than age, research will determine whether vascular or other factors contribute to its development.

CASE CONTINUED: TARGETING AGGRESSION

Ms. Z was given divalproex, 250 mg bid, to reduce her frequent aggression. Her visual hallucinations were considered mild and not problematic and therefore were not treated. She responded well to the medication, allowing her to remain in day care and avoid nursing home placement.

Related resources

• Alzheimer’s Association. http://www.alz.org
• American Geriatrics Society. http://www.americangeriatrics.org

Drug brand names

• Carbamazepine • Tegretol, others
• Carbidopa/Levodopa • Various
• Divalproex • Depakote
• Donepezil • Aricept
• Galantamine • Reminyl
• Hydrocodone/acetaminophen • Vicodin, others
• Lisinopril/hydrochlorothiazide • Prinzide, Zestoretic
• Memantine • Namenda
• Risperdone • Risperdal
• Rivastigmine • Exelon

Disclosure

Dr. Bartz is a speaker for Forest Pharmaceuticals and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.

Obstructive sleep apnea is underdiagnosed.¹ These recommendations (from the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement’s Respiratory Steering Committee) can help providers more accurately identify adults who have OSA through a sleep study evaluation, prescribe appropriate treatment, document cases for appropriate follow-up, and increase patient understanding of related health risks. The target audience is physicians, nurses, advanced practice nurses, and physician assistants. The target population is adults.

The evidence categories for this guideline are diagnosis, evaluation, management, risk assessment, and treatment. Outcomes considered are signs and symptoms of OSA; patient risk factors, including comorbidities; accuracy of diagnostic tests; effects of treatment on apneahypopnea index and other measures; patient compliance and satisfaction with treatment; and complications of treatment. Their rating scheme has been updated to comply with the SORT taxonomy.²

Relevance and limitations

OSA affects more than 12 million people in the US, 2% of women and 4% of men aged >35 years. The patient with OSA commonly consults a physician after a sleep partner reports loud snoring and irregular breathing. The methods used to collect and select evidence is not stated.

Development and review

This guideline was accessed through the National Guideline Clearinghouse (www.ngc.gov). The Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement is an independent, nonprofit organization sponsored by 6 Minnesota health plans.

The authors completed an electronic search of databases. Data were analyzed by systematic review with evidence table and were validated by clinical validation-pilot testing and internal peer review. The methods used to make the recommendations were not discussed. Quality and strength of evidence were weighted according to a rating scheme furnished in the guideline. Two excellent algorithms are attached to this guideline: diagnosis and treatment. There are 92 references.

Guideline source

Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement. Diagnosis and Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Bloomington, Minn: Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement; 2003. 53 pages.

Other guidelines on osa

• Practice parameters for the use of autotitrating continuous positive airway pressure devices for titrating pressures and treating adult patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Standards of Practice Committee. Sleep 2002; 25:143–147 [29 references]. Web access at: www.aasmnet.org/PDF/autotitratingreview.pdf.
• Practice parameters for the use of portable monitoring devices in the investigation of suspected obstructive sleep apnea in adults. Chesson AL Jr, Berry RB, Pack A. Practice parameters for the use of portable monitoring devices in the investigation of suspected obstructive sleep apnea in adults. Sleep2003; 26:907–913 [11 references]. Web access at: www.aasmnet.org/PDF/260719.pdf.
• Clinical practice guideline: diagnosis and management of childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Pediatrics 2002; 109:704–712 [63 references]. Web access at: www.aappolicy. aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics; 109/4/704.

Obstructive sleep apnea is underdiagnosed.¹ These recommendations (from the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement’s Respiratory Steering Committee) can help providers more accurately identify adults who have OSA through a sleep study evaluation, prescribe appropriate treatment, document cases for appropriate follow-up, and increase patient understanding of related health risks. The target audience is physicians, nurses, advanced practice nurses, and physician assistants. The target population is adults.

The evidence categories for this guideline are diagnosis, evaluation, management, risk assessment, and treatment. Outcomes considered are signs and symptoms of OSA; patient risk factors, including comorbidities; accuracy of diagnostic tests; effects of treatment on apneahypopnea index and other measures; patient compliance and satisfaction with treatment; and complications of treatment. Their rating scheme has been updated to comply with the SORT taxonomy.²

Relevance and limitations

OSA affects more than 12 million people in the US, 2% of women and 4% of men aged >35 years. The patient with OSA commonly consults a physician after a sleep partner reports loud snoring and irregular breathing. The methods used to collect and select evidence is not stated.

Development and review

This guideline was accessed through the National Guideline Clearinghouse (www.ngc.gov). The Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement is an independent, nonprofit organization sponsored by 6 Minnesota health plans.

The authors completed an electronic search of databases. Data were analyzed by systematic review with evidence table and were validated by clinical validation-pilot testing and internal peer review. The methods used to make the recommendations were not discussed. Quality and strength of evidence were weighted according to a rating scheme furnished in the guideline. Two excellent algorithms are attached to this guideline: diagnosis and treatment. There are 92 references.

Guideline source

Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement. Diagnosis and Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Bloomington, Minn: Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement; 2003. 53 pages.

Other guidelines on osa

• Practice parameters for the use of autotitrating continuous positive airway pressure devices for titrating pressures and treating adult patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Standards of Practice Committee. Sleep 2002; 25:143–147 [29 references]. Web access at: www.aasmnet.org/PDF/autotitratingreview.pdf.
• Practice parameters for the use of portable monitoring devices in the investigation of suspected obstructive sleep apnea in adults. Chesson AL Jr, Berry RB, Pack A. Practice parameters for the use of portable monitoring devices in the investigation of suspected obstructive sleep apnea in adults. Sleep2003; 26:907–913 [11 references]. Web access at: www.aasmnet.org/PDF/260719.pdf.
• Clinical practice guideline: diagnosis and management of childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Pediatrics 2002; 109:704–712 [63 references]. Web access at: www.aappolicy. aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics; 109/4/704.

Obstructive sleep apnea is underdiagnosed.¹ These recommendations (from the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement’s Respiratory Steering Committee) can help providers more accurately identify adults who have OSA through a sleep study evaluation, prescribe appropriate treatment, document cases for appropriate follow-up, and increase patient understanding of related health risks. The target audience is physicians, nurses, advanced practice nurses, and physician assistants. The target population is adults.

The evidence categories for this guideline are diagnosis, evaluation, management, risk assessment, and treatment. Outcomes considered are signs and symptoms of OSA; patient risk factors, including comorbidities; accuracy of diagnostic tests; effects of treatment on apneahypopnea index and other measures; patient compliance and satisfaction with treatment; and complications of treatment. Their rating scheme has been updated to comply with the SORT taxonomy.²

Relevance and limitations

OSA affects more than 12 million people in the US, 2% of women and 4% of men aged >35 years. The patient with OSA commonly consults a physician after a sleep partner reports loud snoring and irregular breathing. The methods used to collect and select evidence is not stated.

Development and review

This guideline was accessed through the National Guideline Clearinghouse (www.ngc.gov). The Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement is an independent, nonprofit organization sponsored by 6 Minnesota health plans.

The authors completed an electronic search of databases. Data were analyzed by systematic review with evidence table and were validated by clinical validation-pilot testing and internal peer review. The methods used to make the recommendations were not discussed. Quality and strength of evidence were weighted according to a rating scheme furnished in the guideline. Two excellent algorithms are attached to this guideline: diagnosis and treatment. There are 92 references.

Guideline source

Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement. Diagnosis and Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Bloomington, Minn: Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement; 2003. 53 pages.

Other guidelines on osa

• Practice parameters for the use of autotitrating continuous positive airway pressure devices for titrating pressures and treating adult patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Standards of Practice Committee. Sleep 2002; 25:143–147 [29 references]. Web access at: www.aasmnet.org/PDF/autotitratingreview.pdf.
• Practice parameters for the use of portable monitoring devices in the investigation of suspected obstructive sleep apnea in adults. Chesson AL Jr, Berry RB, Pack A. Practice parameters for the use of portable monitoring devices in the investigation of suspected obstructive sleep apnea in adults. Sleep2003; 26:907–913 [11 references]. Web access at: www.aasmnet.org/PDF/260719.pdf.
• Clinical practice guideline: diagnosis and management of childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Pediatrics 2002; 109:704–712 [63 references]. Web access at: www.aappolicy. aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics; 109/4/704.