Abstract

SOME PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT OPTIONS OF NEUROPSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOMS IN PATIENTS WITH NEUROCOGNITIVE DISORDERS

M. Arnaoudova, A. Tsvetkova and V. Petkova*

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Psychological and behavioral disturbances (BPSD) are an integral part of dementia process and present severe problems to both dementia patients and their caregivers. This might lead to excessive use of psychotropic drugs with risk/benefit issues. Aim: To investigate whether psychotropic drugs are acceptable treatment for some BPSD in dementia. We also searched for somatic comorbidity and medications received. Method: We examined 216 in-patients (mean age 73.18) with Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) and Vascular dementia (VaD), who were under psychotropic treatment. The patients underwent clinical psychiatric assessment, physical examination and evaluation on MMSE, NPI, Cohen-Mansfield Inventory. Descriptive statistics and t-test for comparing the means were applied. Analyses were done using Excel 2007. Summary of results: Users of conventional antipsychotics were 36.36% VaD patients and 34.28% AD patients; of atypical antipsychotics 60% of AD and 53% of VaD patients. The prevailing aggressive behavioural disturbances in VaD were consistent in preference of mood stabilizers (15.32%) and benzodiazepines (55.86%), than in AD (respectively 6.67% and 37.14%) p

Keywords: pharmacological treatment, psychiatric comorbidity, elderly patients, Neurocognitive disorders.