Comparison of caregiver burden between dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease

Background Caring for patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) would be more stressful for their caregivers than those with Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we compared levels of caregiver burden and the possible influential factors on the caregiver burden between DLB and AD. Methods Ninety‐three DLB patients and 500 AD patients were selected from the Kumamoto University Dementia Registry. Caregiver burden, neuropsychiatric symptoms, basic activities of daily living (BADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) were assessed by the Japanese version of the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (J‐ZBI), the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), the Physical Self‐Maintenance Scale (PSMS), and the Lawton IADL scale, respectively. Results Despite the comparable Mini‐Mental State Examination score, the J‐ZBI score was significantly higher in the DLB group than the AD group (P = 0.012). A stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that IADL score (β = −0.23, P = 0.049), PSMS score (β = −0.31, P = 0.010), disinhibition (β = 0.22, P = 0.008), and anxiety (β = 0.19, P = 0.027) were significantly associated with J‐ZBI score in DLB. In AD, caregiver's relationship with patient (child) (β = 0.104, P = 0.005), caregiver's gender (female) (β = 0.106, P = 0.004), IADL score (β = −0.237, P