Olanzapine as a treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias: a 24-month follow-up of 68 patients.
Although the core feature of all types of dementia is progressive cognitive disruption, most demented patients also express noncognitive behavioral problems. These noncognitive problems lead to potentially devastating disabilities, and are often a major cause of stress, anxiety and concern for caregivers. Psychotropic drugs are frequently used to control these symptoms, but they have the potential for significant side effects, such as sedation, disinhibition, depression, falls, incontinence, parkinsonisms and akathisias. For 24 months, we monitored 68 outpatients suffering from Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, frontal lobe dementia, Parkinson dementia complex, and Lewy body disease. Our purpose was to identify the role and efficacy of olanzapine and the side effects which emerged during the treatment of behavioral alteration resulting from five etiological causes. This paper will discuss the results of this study, and will provide an overview of the existing literature.
Moretti
Rita
R
Dipartimento di Fisiologia e Patologia Generale, Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Neurologia, U.C.O. di Clinica Neurologica, Ambulatorio Disturbi Cognitivi, Università degli Studi di Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
Torre
Paola
P
Antonello
Rodolfo M
RM
Cazzato
Giuseppe
G
Griggio
Stefania
S
Bava
Antonio
A
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D003702:Delusions / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D003704:Dementia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D000077152:Olanzapine; D010890:Pirenzepine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D010890:Pirenzepine; D000077152:Olanzapine