Risk of mortality and institutionalization in demented patients with delusions

Delusions are a common symptom during the course of dementia. Despite their clinical relevance, however, it is still unclear whether they are of prognostic value. This longitudinal study involving, at baseline, 99 demented Alzheimer disease (AD) and multi-infarct dementia (MID) patients, investigates the risk of mortality and institutionalization at 2 years after discharge from a dementia unit in patients with and without delusions at baseline. Results indicate that the presence of delusions is a significant predictor of future institutionalization (odds ratio 3.6, confidence interval 1.3-9.6), even when confounding factors such as age, educational level, and severity of cognitive and functional impairment are statistically controlled. No significant impact on survival was found.