[Advanced dementia in Alzheimer's disease and memantine].
BACKGROUND
Alzheimer's disease (AD) causes dementia with a progressive course. Until now, research has been aimed mainly at studying its early, pre-dementia and mild or mild to moderate dementia phases in an attempt to find treatments with which to cure it or at least halt its progression. It is true that the latest cognitive therapies are effective up to a point, but the fact is that many patients reach the state of advanced AD, which gives rise to a number of cognitive and behavioural disorders that entail all kinds of problems on a personal, familial and community health level.


OBJECTIVE
This study reviews the progress of AD, the length of its stages, the speed at which the disease courses and patients' survival. Advanced AD is defined, its clinical features and the functional disability it causes are described, and we analyse the tests and scales that must be used to measure how the process is progressing and the effectiveness of the distinct forms of treatment used in the later phase of AD, which are different to those employed in the early stages. All this allows us to analyse the results of clinical trials carried out with memantine, an NMDA (N-methyl D-aspartate) receptor antagonist. We review its pharmacological characteristics and its use in everyday practice. Lastly, we refer to the classical symptomatic treatments that are usually employed to control the frequent and intense behavioural disorders produced in the advanced phase of AD.


CONCLUSIONS
The later stage of AD requires our attention because many patients reach and remain for a long time in this phase, which leads to considerable personal and social disorders. Several scales and tests have been adapted to these later phases of AD, enabling the clinician to evaluate the patient, monitor the progress of the disease and determine the effectiveness of different treatments. Memantine, the most recent drug approved for use with this disease, has proved to be effective in the treatment of patients with advanced AD. This pharmaceutical has been added to the list of well-known classical medicines, such as neuroleptic drugs, antidepressants, anxiolytic agents and others, which can be used to diminish the behavioural disorders in these patients and improve their quality of life, as well as that of their caregivers.
Alberca
R
R
Servicio de Neurología, Hospital UniversitarioVirgen del Rocío, Sevilla, España. ralbercas@meditex.es
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D018450:Disease Progression; D015259:Dopamine Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008559:Memantine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests
D015259:Dopamine Agents; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D008559:Memantine