Synonyms
Definition
Sundown syndrome (SS) is a well-known phenomenon for professionals that work with patients with dementia and for their relatives or caregivers, but nevertheless there is not a unique definition that suits the results of the few studies about it. There is usually a consensus in considering SS as the onset or exacerbation of neuropsychiatric symptoms in the late afternoon or the early evening (Canevelli et al. 2016).
Overview
Clinical and Epidemiological Features
Despite lacking a universal definition of SS, it is accepted that it comprises behavioral and neuropsychiatric manifestations as agitation, disorientation, confusion, psychomotor restlessness, anxiety, aggressiveness, screams, wandering, and hallucinations. Though being a frequent entity, SS has not received great clinical and scientific attention yet, as demonstrated by the scarce studies and their controverted results. For example, available research about SS prevalence in...
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References
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Fernández Sánchez, M., Carreras Rodríguez, M.T., Vieira Campos, A. (2019). Sundown Syndrome. In: Gu, D., Dupre, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_965-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_965-1
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