Mei Xi, Zou Chen-Jun, Zheng Cheng-Ying, Hu Jun, Zhou Dong-Sheng
Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Kangning Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, Zhejiang Province, China.
Department of Geriatric, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, Ningbo 315201, Zhejiang Province, China.
World J Psychiatry. 2024 Dec 19;14(12):1982-1987. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v14.i12.1982.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common type of dementia due to neuronal impairment. In addition, psychobehavioral symptoms including severe sleep disorders, depression and anxiety can occur in most patients with AD.
We report a case of a 68-year-old woman with a 2-year history of AD. She initially presented with memory loss, progressively more severe, leading to a depressive and anxious status. The clinical symptoms also included severe sleep disturbances. Considering the age and health state of the patient, a non-pharmacological treatment of bright light therapy was used to improve her sleep quality. The treatment was provided for 30 minutes twice a day, during 8:30 am to 9:00 am and 16:30 pm to 17:00 pm. After 4 weeks of therapy, the sleep quality notably improved, with a marked decrease in daytime sleep, increase in nighttime sleep, and disappearance of nocturnal activity. The depression and anxiety were also suppressed significantly.
This case report suggested that bright light therapy can have a positive effect on sleep quality in elderly patients with AD and can be used as an effective and safe non-pharmacological treatment.
阿尔茨海默病（AD）是一种因神经元损伤导致的常见痴呆类型。此外，大多数AD患者会出现包括严重睡眠障碍、抑郁和焦虑在内的精神行为症状。
我们报告一例68岁女性，有2年AD病史。她最初表现为记忆力减退，且逐渐加重，导致抑郁和焦虑状态。临床症状还包括严重的睡眠障碍。考虑到患者的年龄和健康状况，采用非药物治疗的强光疗法来改善她的睡眠质量。治疗在上午8:30至9:00以及下午16:30至17:00进行，每天两次，每次30分钟。治疗4周后，睡眠质量显著改善，白天睡眠时间明显减少，夜间睡眠时间增加，夜间活动消失。抑郁和焦虑也得到明显缓解。
本病例报告表明，强光疗法对老年AD患者的睡眠质量有积极影响，可作为一种有效且安全的非药物治疗方法。
