Informal caregiver’s socio demographic profile for community-dwelling women and men with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, compliance, and satisfaction to treatment: A post-hoc analysis of the AXEPT study

Abstract

In this post-hoc analysis of the AXEPT study, 855 patients were analyzed, 544 (63.6%) females. The mean (± SD) MMSE score in women vs men was 20.8 ± 2.6 vs. 21.2 ± 2.5; p = 0.0087, and women were more likely affected by psychiatric disorders (n = 76, 14.0% women vs. n = 21, 6.8% men; p = 0.0015). Men were mainly assisted by their wives (n = 207, 66.6%), women mainly by their daughters (n = 243, 44.7%) and only in a minority of cases by their husbands (n = 92, 16.9%). Women less frequently cohabited with their caregivers than men (n = 233, 43.1% vs. n = 240, 77.9%, p < 0.0001), and received less daily time of caregiving (mean (± SD): 10.0 ± 7.2 vs. 15.2 ± 8.2; p < 0.0001). No gender differences were highlighted in compliance to treatment and caregiver satisfaction, while gender differences in caregiving were found at disadvantage of women affected by more severe cognitive and psychiatric conditions.

Acknowledgments

The authors meet the criteria of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) for authorship and were fully responsible for all aspects of manuscript development. We are grateful to Sara Rizzoli for her help in performing statistical analyses and drafting the manuscript.

Authors’ contribution

• Conception or design of the work: Colombo Delia, Zagni Emanuela

• Data collection: Bernabei Roberto, Di Cioccio Luigi, Gragnaniello Daniela, Luda Di Cortemiglia Emilio, Rossini Paolo Maria

• Data analysis and interpretation: Haggiag Shalom, Simoni Lucia

• Drafting the article: Haggiag Shalom, Simoni Lucia

• Critical revision of the article: Attar Mahmood, Bernabei Roberto, Colombo Delia, Di Cioccio Luigi, Gragnaniello Daniela, Haggiag Shalom, Luda Di Cortemiglia Emilio, Simoni Lucia, Rossini Paolo Maria, Zagni Emanuela

• Final approval of the version to be published: Attar Mahmood, Bernabei Roberto, Colombo Delia, Di Cioccio Luigi, Gragnaniello Daniela, Haggiag Shalom, Luda Di Cortemiglia Emilio, Simoni Lucia, Rossini Paolo Maria, Zagni Emanuela

Disclosure statement

• Colombo Delia when the research was conducted was a part-time employee of Novartis Farma Italy and received grants from Allergan and Aventis.

• Zagni Emanuela is an employee of Novartis Farma Italy.

• Rossini Paolo Maria reports no conflict of interest.

• Di Cioccio Luigi reports no conflict of interest.

• Gragnaniello Daniela reports no conflict of interest.

• Luda Di Cortemiglia Emilio reports no conflict of interest.

• Attar Mahmood is an employee of Novartis Farma Italy.

• Simoni Lucia is an emploee of MEDINEOS (Modena, Italy).

• Haggiag Shalom reports no conflict of interest.

• Bernabei Roberto reports no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The study was supported by a grant by Novartis Farma S.p.A. Origgio (VA), Italy.