Analyses of mortality risk in patients with dementia treated with galantamine.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze mortality data from patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), Alzheimer's plus cerebrovascular disease (AD + CVD) or vascular dementia (VaD).


METHODS
(1) Meta-analysis of mortality data from double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trials; and (2) recontact study to collect additional longer term mortality data from previous galantamine trial participants. RESULTS (META-ANALYSIS): Across 12 trials (< or =6 months duration), there was no increased risk of mortality associated with the use of galantamine (n = 4116) compared with that of placebo (n = 2386) (OR galantamine/placebo: 0.67, 95% CI 0.41-1.10). RESULTS (RECONTACT STUDY): Median survival was 79 months for patients with AD (n = 478) and 59 months for patients with AD + CVD (n = 180) or VaD (n = 145). Prolonged galantamine treatment (> vs < or =6 months) was not associated with decreased survival time (75 vs 61 months respectively; P = 0.02). Cox regression analyses were consistent with the Kaplan-Meier analyses.


CONCLUSIONS
We found no short-term or longer term evidence of increased risk of mortality associated with the use of galantamine in patients with AD, AD + CVD or VaD.
University British Columbia Hospital, Vancouver, Canada. hfeldman@interchange.ubc.ca
H H
HH
Feldman
T
T
Pirttila
J F
JF
Dartigues
B
B
Everitt
B
B
Van Baelen
H R
HR
Brashear
J A
JA
Berlin
W P
WP
Battisti
S
S
Kavanagh
D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality*; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005702:Galantamine / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D007326:Institutionalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D055825:National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (U.S.); D010555:Personality Inventory; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016019:Survival Analysis; D017741:Survivors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States
D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D005702:Galantamine