Current pharmacologic options for patients with Alzheimer's disease

William E Reichman

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ 07103

author email corresponding author email

Annals of General Hospital Psychiatry 2003, 2:1doi:10.1186/1475-2832-2-1


Published:	29 January 2003

Abstract

Background

The aim of the current study was to provide general practitioners with an overview of the available treatment options for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Since general practitioners provide the majority of medical care for AD patients, they should be well versed in treatment options that can improve function and slow the progression of symptoms.

Design

Biomedical literature related to acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) was surveyed. In the United States, there are four AChEIs approved for the treatment of AD: tacrine, donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine. There are other agents under investigation, but at present, AChEIs are the only approved drug category for AD treatment.

Measurements and Main Results

AD is becoming a major public health concern and underdiagnosis is a significant problem (with only about half of AD patients being diagnosed and only half of those diagnosed actually being treated). Clinical trials have demonstrated that patients with AD who do not receive active treatment decline at more rapid rates than those who do.

Conclusions

Given that untreated AD patients show decline in three major areas (cognition, behavior, and functional ability), if drug treatment is able to improve performance, maintain baseline performance over the long term, or allow for a slower rate of decline in performance, each of these outcomes should be viewed a treatment success.