Department of Neuropsychiatry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
Int Psychogeriatr. 2010 May;22(3):493-500. doi: 10.1017/S1041610210000086. Epub 2010 Feb 22.
Wandering and fecal smearing (scatolia) are among the problematic behaviors in dementia, and many caregivers are troubled by these behaviors. The purpose of this study was to clarify the clinical characteristics of patients with these symptoms.
We performed a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire items were the age, sex, living environment, diagnosis, cognitive function, and activities of daily living. Other clinical characteristics were evaluated using the quality of life (QOL) questionnaire for dementia.
A total of 246 patients with dementia were rated. Wandering was observed frequently in 23%, sometimes in 12%, rarely in 14%, and never in 51% of the patients; scatolia was observed frequently in 2%, sometimes in 8%, rarely in 15%, and never in 75%. Wanderers were more frequent among those with severe dementia. They displayed more restlessness, positive affect and attachment to others with respect to QOL. The patients with scatolia tended to get lower scores in tests of cognitive function and displayed more negative affect/actions with respect to QOL. Both wanderers and patients with scatolia suffered from insomnia more frequently.
These results suggest that both wandering and scatolia are behavioral symptoms intimately associated with cognitive dysfunction and insomnia.
wandering 和 fecal smearing（粪便涂抹）是痴呆症患者的行为问题之一，许多护理人员为此感到困扰。本研究旨在阐明这些症状患者的临床特征。
我们进行了问卷调查。问卷项目包括年龄、性别、生活环境、诊断、认知功能和日常生活活动。其他临床特征则通过痴呆症生活质量（QOL）问卷进行评估。
共对 246 名痴呆症患者进行了评估。频繁出现 wandering 的占 23%，有时出现的占 12%，偶尔出现的占 14%，从未出现的占 51%；频繁出现 fecal smearing 的占 2%，有时出现的占 8%，偶尔出现的占 15%，从未出现的占 75%。严重痴呆的患者更常出现 wandering。在 QOL 方面，他们表现出更多的不安、积极的情感和对他人的依恋。有 fecal smearing 的患者在认知功能测试中往往得分较低，在 QOL 方面表现出更多的消极情感/行为。无论是 wandering 还是有 fecal smearing 的患者，失眠的发生率都更高。
这些结果表明，wandering 和 fecal smearing 都是与认知功能障碍和失眠密切相关的行为症状。
