Long-term efficacy of olanzapine in the control of psychotic and behavioral symptoms in nursing home patients with Alzheimer's dementia.
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry
; 16 Suppl 1: S62-70, 2001 Dec.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-11748789
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Psychotic symptoms and behavioral disturbances are a leading cause of institutionalization in elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).OBJECTIVES:
Elderly nursing home patients (n=105) with possible or probable AD were entered into a multicenter study to determine the long-term efficacy and safety of olanzapine in treatment of psychotic symptoms and behavioral disturbances due to AD.METHODS:
Following a double-blind, 6-week exposure to fixed-dose olanzapine (5, 10, or 15 mg/d), patients entered an additional 18-week, open-label, flexible-dose treatment. Baseline was defined from the start of the extension phase.RESULTS:
Patients improved significantly on the primary efficacy measure, defined a priori, which consisted of the sum of the Agitation/Aggression, Delusions, and Hallucinations items ('Core') of the NPI/NH. Olanzapine also significantly improved scores for the NPI/NH total and the Core item-associated Occupational Disruptiveness of the NPI/NH, as well as the BPRS total and CGI Severity-of-Alzheimer's scores. Barnes Akathasia scores improved significantly from baseline, while Simpson-Angus and AIMS scores were not significantly changed. Treatment-emergent symptoms included somnolence, accidental injury, and rash. No significant changes were seen in ECGs, including QT(c) interval, nor in weight or vital signs, including orthostasis.CONCLUSIONS:
Low-dose olanzapine appears to be effective and well tolerated for treatment of behavioral disturbances and psychotic symptoms due to AD in elderly patients.
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Psychotic Disorders
/
Behavioral Symptoms
/
Pirenzepine
/
Alzheimer Disease
Type of study:
Clinical_trials
/
Diagnostic_studies
Limits:
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
En
Journal:
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry
Journal subject:
GERIATRIA
/
PSIQUIATRIA
Year:
2001
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States
Publication country:
ENGLAND
/
ESCOCIA
/
GB
/
GREAT BRITAIN
/
INGLATERRA
/
REINO UNIDO
/
SCOTLAND
/
UK
/
UNITED KINGDOM