title: Efficacy of acetyl-cholinesterase-inhibitor (ACHEI) treatment in Alzheimer's disease: a 21-month follow-up "real world" study.
abstract: Long-term efficacy of acetyl-cholinesterase-inhibitor (ACHEI) treatment in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) is of great relevance for clinical routine and has been investigated over a 21-month period of treatment in a "real word" population. We investigated cognitive (mini mental state examination=MMSE) and functional (instrumental activities of daily living=IADL; activities of daily living=ADL) outcomes in 427 AD patients throughout the above period. At the end of the study, first-time drug takers (naives) declined by 1.2 MMSE points, whereas non-naives by 3.8 points. Predictors of responsiveness for first-time drug takers were MMSE score at baseline and MMSE points gained at 3 months of treatment. Further investigations are needed to shed light on the characteristics of responsiveness to a tailored ACHEI treatment for dementia.
authors.affiliation: U.O. Alzheimer, IRCCS San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Via Pilastroni 4, I-25123 Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calabria
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Geroldi
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lussignoli
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sabbatini
authors.forename: Orazio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Zanetti