Dementia medical therapy

Dementia Microchapters
Patient Information
Overview
Classification
Causes Alzheimer's Disease Parkinson's Disease Binswanger's Disease Dementia with Lewy bodies Thiamine deficiency Vascular dementia Marijuana abuse AIDS Neurosyphilis Normal pressure hydrocephalus Vitamin B12 deficiency Vitamin B6 deficiency
Differential Diagnosis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Medical Therapy

The mainstay of management of dementia is :

• Symptomatic
• Treatment of behavioral disturbances
• Environmental manipulations to support function

• Counseling with respect to safety issues.

More precise diagnosis is required for effective management and accurate prognosis. Medical therapy for dementia include:

• Cholinesterase inhibitors ( Donepezil , Rivastigmine , Galantamine )

They increase cholinergic transmission by inhibiting cholinesterase at the synaptic cleft and provide modest symptomatic benefit in some patients with dementia.

• Memantine

Excessive NMDA stimulation can be induced by ischemia and lead to excitotoxicity, suggesting that agents that block pathologic stimulation of NMDA receptors may protect against further damage in patients with vascular dementia.

They have modest benefits in patients with moderate to severe AD