Impact of Donepezil and Memantine on Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Alzheimer Disease: Six-month Open-label Study.

BACKGROUND: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are common in individuals with Alzheimer disease (AD). Donepezil and memantine are both widely used for the treatment of moderate AD. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of donepezil and memantine in relieving BPSD in individuals with moderate AD. METHOD: We conducted a prospective, randomized, 6-month clinical trial involving 85 individuals with moderate AD divided into two groups: group 1 (n = 42) was treated with donepezil; group 2 (n = 43) was treated with memantine. We used the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) to assess the prevalence and severity of BPSD at baseline and after 6 months of treatment with donepezil or memantine. RESULTS: The two groups' baseline characteristics, including age, sex, mean length of education, and disease duration, were comparable, as were their baseline Mini-Mental State Examination scores. The NPI Total score improved from baseline to month 6 in both groups (P < 0.0001). Analyses of the NPI subdomains revealed that both donepezil treatment and memantine treatment produced statistically significant improvement in all of the NPI domains except euphoria and apathy, for which no improvement was observed after memantine treatment. Both treatments were well tolerated, with mostly mild and transient adverse effects. CONCLUSION: Specific drugs for AD, including donepezil and memantine, may be effective in treating BPSD in individuals with moderate AD, with a favorable safety profile.

Ambulatory arterial stiffness index and carotid intima-media thickness in hypertensive rheumatoid patients: a comparative cross-sectional study.

AIM: Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with accelerated atherosclerosis. However, little is known about preclinical atherosclerosis in hypertensive rheumatoid arthritis patients. In this cross-sectional study we assessed the expression of preclinical atherosclerosis in hypertensive rheumatoid arthritis patients in comparison with matched hypertensive non-rheumatoid arthritis patients. METHODS: The study included 52 hypertensive rheumatoid arthritis patients and 42 hypertensive non-rheumatoid arthritis patients. The patients were extensively examined clinically and laboratory tested. The expression of preclinical atherosclerosis was estimated by assessing ambulatory arterial stiffness index and common carotid intima-media thickness. RESULTS: Arterial stiffness index and common carotid intima-media thickness were higher in hypertensive rheumatoid arthritis patients than in hypertensive non-rheumatoid arthritis patients. There was no correlation between arterial stiffness index and common carotid intima-media thickness with markers of inflammation and disease activity in hypertensive rheumatoid arthritis patients. CONCLUSION: The expression of subclinical atherosclerosis is more pronounced in hypertensive rheumatoid arthritis than in hypertensive non- rheumatoid arthritis patients.