The NPI assesses the frequency and severity of 12 neuropsychiatric symptoms: aberrant motor behavior, agitation, anxiety, apathy, delusions, depression, disinhibition, eating disturbances, euphoria, hallucinations, irritability, and sleep disturbances.
6 The score for each symptom is the product of the frequency (0, not at all; 1, occasionally; 2, often; 3, frequently; 4, very frequently) and severity (1, mild; 2, moderate; 3, severe) of the symptom. The total NPI score is the sum of the 12 symptom product scores. A neuropsychologist (K.S. or D.J.L.) scored the NPI ratings in the present study.
The CIRS assesses the degree of impairment in 13 body organ systems: cardiac, endocrine/metabolic, gastrointestinal (upper), gastrointestinal (lower), genitourinary, hepatic, musculoskeletal, neurologic, ophthalmologic/otolaryngologic, psychiatric, renal, respiratory, and vascular.
7 Each system is assigned a value ranging from 0 (no impairment) to 4 (extremely severe). A total CIRS score is obtained by summing the scores for all 13 body systems. One of two geriatricians (P.T. or E.T.) completed all CIRS evaluations. Both physicians were blind to the neuropsychologists' assessments of NPI symptom severity. Likewise, the neuropsychologists were blind to the CIRS medical evaluations.