Dementia and its Behavioral Disturbances

New treatment options for dementia and its behavioral disturbances have become available since publication of The Expert Consensus Guidelines™ on the Treatment of Agitation in Older Persons with Dementia in 1998. While only 2 cholinesterase inhibitors, donepezil and tacrine, were available in 1998, 3 new cognitive-enhancing agents have been introduced since that time as well as several new atypical antipsychotics and antidepressants. However, there are still limited data from controlled studies to guide clinicians in choosing among these agents and sequencing and combining treatments. We therefore conducted a new survey study of expert opinion on the treatment of cognitive impairment and behavioral disturbances associated with dementia. A written survey with 61 questions and 1,225 options was sent to 50 national experts, 100% of whom completed it. The results of this survey were used to develop a set of user-friendly guidelines that cover 1) preventive strategies for high-risk patients and patients with mild cognitive impairment, 2) diagnosis of different types of dementia, 3) treatments for cognitive impairment in dementia of different severities, 4) dosing of cholinesterase inhibitors and NMDA antagonists, 5) management of agitation and behavioral disturbances in dementia, and 6) safety, complicating conditions and medication combinations.

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Treatment of Dementia and its Behavioral Disturbances

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Adobe Acrobat PDF format (109k)

"Treatment of Dementia and Agitation: A Guide for Families and Caregivers"

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*The CME program for this product has expired.