title: Donepezil in Alzheimer's disease: what to expect after 3 years of treatment in a routine clinical setting.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Clinical short-term trails have shown positive effects of donepezil treatment in patients with Alzheimer's disease. The outcome of continuous long-term treatment in the routine clinical settings remains to be investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Swedish Alzheimer Treatment Study (SATS) is a descriptive, prospective, longitudinal, multicentre study. Four hundred and thirty-five outpatients with the clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, received treatment with donepezil. Patients were assessed with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog), global rating (CIBIC) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) at baseline and every 6 months for a total period of 3 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean MMSE change from baseline was positive for more than 6 months and in subgroups of patients for 12 months. After 3 years of treatment the mean change from baseline in MMSE-score was 3.8 points (95% CI, 3.0-4.7) and the ADAS-cog rise was 8.2 points (95% CI, 6.4-10.1). This is better than expected in untreated historical cohorts, and better than the ADAS-cog rise calculated by the Stern equation (15.6 points; 95% CI, 14.5-16.6). After 3 years with 38% of the patients remaining, 30% of the them were unchanged or improved in the global assessment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Three-year donepezil treatment showed a positive global and cognitive outcome in the routine clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmo, Lund University, Malmo, Sweden. asa.k.wallin@skane.se
authors.forename: Asa K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Wallin
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Andreasen
authors.forename: Sture
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.forename: Stellan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Båtsman
authors.forename: Birgitta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nasman
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ekdahl
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kilander
authors.forename: Mikaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grut
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rydén
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wallin
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jonsson
authors.forename: Hasse
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Olofsson
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Londos
authors.forename: Carina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wattmo
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eriksdotter Jonhagen
authors.forename: Lennart
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Minthon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D018450:Disease Progression; D000077265:Donepezil; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007189:Indans / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010880:Piperidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013548:Sweden; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007189:Indans; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D010880:Piperidines; D000077265:Donepezil