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Rivastigmine: An Open-Label Observational Study of Behavioral Symptoms Identified as Most Troubling by Caregivers of Patients With Alzheimer’s Disease

School of Nursing, Indiana University, Indianapolis, mlilly{at}iupui.edu

Martin R. Farlow

Department of Neurology, Indiana University, Indianapolis

BACKGROUND. Behavioral problems exhibited by persons with Alzheimer’s disease are distressing for caregivers and are associated with a number of negative outcomes, including increased risk of long-term care placement. Studies of cholinesterase inhibitor therapy for up to 1 year document modest improvements in behavioral symptoms and functional status. OBJECTIVE. The long-term effects of rivastigmine, a cholinesterase inhibitor, on behavioral symptoms and functional status in a sample of patients with Alzheimer’s disease were examined. DESIGN. This is an observational study of behavioral data reported by care-givers for 32 initially mild to moderate Alzheimer’s patients participating in an open-label extension of a prospective, randomized study of rivastigmine as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. RESULTS. Patients followed in the open-label phase of this trial experienced a decline in behavioral symptoms in general and a decline in symptoms identified as most troubling by the caregiver. CONCLUSION. This study supports the effectiveness of cholinesterase inhibitors, such as rivastigmine, in the long-term management of behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer’s patients.

Key Words: dementia • Alzheimer’s disease • rivastigmine • problem behaviors

Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, Vol. 11, No. 5, 293-297 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/1078390305282210


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