Neuropsychiatric disorders correction in Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms occur in 80% of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and represent one of the most common reasons for early hospitalization and increased treatment costs. It is believed that the development of mental disorders (MD) is a marker of a number of additional adverse outcomes in patients with AD. The disease is accompanied by the development of other behavioral disorders, the most unpleasant of which are agitation (excitation) and aggression. The article discusses the causes and factors that can provoke the development of MD in AD. Traditionally used pharmacotherapeutic methods for the treatment of MD in AD in this age group have limited efficacy and are characterized by high toxicity. Antipsychotics are often associated with serious side effects and increased mortality in patients with dementia. A clinical case of AD with the development of neuropsychiatric disorders is presented. We discuss the issue of nonpharmacological strategies that have been shown to be more effective than pharmacological treatment and have fewer side effects than antipsychotic pharmacotherapy. On the example of the given clinical case, modern approaches to the correction of such complications and the management of this group of patients are shown. It seems appropriate to use memantine (akatinol memantine) in patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms of AD. In clinical studies, memantine has shown a positive effect in terms of reducing the rate of deterioration of general, cognitive, functional and behavioral parameters compared with treatment with antipsychotics. The drug is characterized by a minimum number of side effects and a limited range of contraindications.