[Pharmacological treatment of dementia: when, how and for how long. Recommendations of the Working Group on Dementia of the Catalan Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology].
Dementia in general--and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in particular--are bound to loom large among the most acute healthcare, social, and public health problems of the 21st century. AD shows a degenerative progression that can be slowed down--yet not halted--by today's most widely accepted specific treatments (those based on cholinesterase inhibitors as well as those using memantine). There is enough evidence to consider these treatments advisable for the mild, moderate and severe phases of the illness. However, in the final stage of the disease, a decision has to be made on whether to withdraw such treatment or not. In this paper, the Working Group on Dementia for the Catalan Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology reviews the use of these specific pharmacological treatments for AD, and, drawing on the scientific evidence thus gathered, makes a series of recommendations on when, how, and for how long, the currently existing specific pharmacological treatments should be used.
Equipo de Evaluación Integral Ambulatoria de Trastornos Cognitivos y de la Conducta, Servicio de Geriatría, Hospital St. Llàtzer, Consorcio Sanitario de Terrassa, Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain. drodriguez@cst.cat
Daniel
D
Rodríguez
Francesc
F
Formiga
Isabel
I
Fort
María José
MJ
Robles
Elena
E
Barranco
Dolors
D
Cubí
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003704:Dementia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors
D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors