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Saturday 25th March, 2006
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Donepezil reverses some aspects of cognitive deterioration seen in severe
Alzheimer's disease.
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The drug donepezil can reverse some aspects of cognitive and
functional deterioration seen in patients with severe Alzheimer's
disease, according to a randomised trial published online today
(Wednesday March 22, 2006) by The Lancet.
About 20% of Alzheimer's patients have severe dementia. As their
health deteriorates they become less able to communicate, less mobile,
and increasingly reliant on nursing care. Donepezil is used to treat
mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease but its effectiveness in severe
dementia has not been assessed until now.
In their trial Bengt Winblad (Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge,
Sweden) and colleagues recruited Alzheimer's patients over 50 years of
age from 50 nursing homes in Sweden. They assigned 95 patients to
donepezil and 99 to a placebo for 6 months. The investigators found that
those on donepezil had improved cognition and ability to carry out daily
activities when compared with those on placebo. More patients on the
active drug had side effects than those in the placebo group but these
were usually transient and mild to moderate in severity.
Professor Winblad states: "Donepezil slows, and can reverse some
aspects of deterioration of cognition and function in individuals with
severe Alzheimer's who live in nursing homes."
Source
The Lancet
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