Behavioral Expressions in Alzheimer's Disease

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2018-02-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Behavioral expressions, such as agitation and aggression, affect up to 90% of persons with dementia and are a major source of patient and caregiver distress, nursing home placement, anti-psychotic medication use, restraints, and increased health care costs. The purpose of the research study is to investigate whether reducing pain reduces behavioral expressions of Alzheimer's disease (agitation and aggression).

• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: University of Florida
• Collaborator: Florida Department of Health
• Treatments: Acetaminophen

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• documented diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease or other dementia

• history of a typically painful condition, such as osteoarthritis, back pain, or other chronic musculoskeletal pain

• able to swallow oral medication

• history of aggressive or agitated behavior (defined as score of > 39 on the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory),

• Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) score < 23

Exclusion Criteria:

• currently taking acetaminophen or opioid medication on a routine (regularly-scheduled, round the clock) basis

• receiving hospice care

• history of liver or renal disease

• drinks more than 3 alcoholic beverages per day

• known allergy or adverse reaction to acetaminophen

• bed-ridden or comatose

• currently taking warfarin