Efficacy of acetyl-cholinesterase-inhibitor (ACHEI) treatment in Alzheimer's disease: A 21-month follow-up ''real world'' study

Abstract Long-term efficacy of acetyl-cholinesterase-inhibitor (ACHEI) treatment in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) is of great relevance for clinical routine and has been investigated over a 21-month period of treatment in a “real word” population. We investigated cognitive (mini mental state examination = MMSE) and functional (instrumental activities of daily living = IADL; activities of daily living = ADL) outcomes in 427 AD patients throughout the above period. At the end of the study, first-time drug takers (naives) declined by 1.2 MMSE points, whereas non-naives by 3.8 points. Predictors of responsiveness for first-time drug takers were MMSE score at baseline and MMSE points gained at 3 months of treatment. Further investigations are needed to shed light on the characteristics of responsiveness to a tailored ACHEI treatment for dementia.