Evidence-based pharmacological treatment of dementia


Emre M., Hanagasi H. A.

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, cilt.7, sa.3, ss.247-253, 2000 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Derleme
  • Cilt numarası: 7 Sayı: 3
  • Basım Tarihi: 2000
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1046/j.1468-1331.2000.00055.x
  • Dergi Adı: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.247-253
  • İstanbul Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır

Özet

The current literature on the pharmacological treatment of dementia was reviewed and the strength of evidence for the efficacy of each drug was categorized using an evidence-based approach. Acetylcholinesterase-inhibitors represent the only category of drugs with consistently demonstrable efficacy in well-designed studies of Alzheimer's disease, although the effect is not large. There is a lack of prospective, controlled, randomized studies for most of the nootropics. Epidemiological evidence suggests prophylactic effects of oestrogens and anti-inflammatory agents, and a single large-scale trial suggests that long-term administration of vitamin E or selegiline may be associated with improved outcome in patients with Alzheimer's disease. A number of drugs were reported to be effective in the treatment of non-cognitive symptoms of dementia including classical and atypical neuroleptics, antidepressants and anticonvulsants. The evidence for efficacy, however, is not strong for the majority of these compounds.