title: Galantamine improves sleep quality in patients with dementia.
abstract: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the influences of cholinesterase inhibitors on sleep pattern and sleep disturbance. A total of 87 mild to moderate stage dementia patients who were not on cholinesterase enzyme inhibitor and memantine treatment were included in the study. The dementia patients were treated with donepezil, galantamine or rivastigmine, depending on the preference of the clinician. Fifty-five dementia patients (63.2 %) completed the study. Twenty-three elderly subjects, who had normal cognitive functions, were included in the study as the control group. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used for evaluating the sleep quality at the beginning and at the final assessment. The improvement in sleep quality was better with regard to changes in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores with galantamine treatment compared to the donepezil and the control groups. A significant decrease in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores was detected in the galantamine group after treatment. Although statistically not significant, rivastigmine decreased and donepezil increased the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores after treatment. Dementia patients who had a poor sleep quality (n: 36), the rate of improvement in sleep disturbance was 81.8 % in the galantamine group, 75 % in the rivastigmine, and 50 % in the donepezil group. Galantamine may be the first choice of cholinesterase inhibitor in mild to moderate dementia patients in terms of improving sleep quality.
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Gulhane School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. inaharci@gata.edu.tr.|Department of Integrated Medical Sciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA. inaharci@gata.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Mehmet Ilkin
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Naharci
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Gulhane School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Mevki Military Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Halit
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yasar
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Gulhane School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Umit
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Cintosun
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Gulhane School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Necmettin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kocak
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Gulhane School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ergun
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bozoglu
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Gulhane School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ilker
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tasci
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Gulhane School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Huseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Doruk
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D000077265:Donepezil; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005702:Galantamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007189:Indans / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D010880:Piperidines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000068836:Rivastigmine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D007189:Indans; D010880:Piperidines; D005702:Galantamine; D000077265:Donepezil; D000068836:Rivastigmine
keywords: Dementia; Donepezil; Galantamine; Rivastigmine; Sleep