Comparative study of citalopram in treatment of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia and cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease patients

Abstract

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of citalopram in the treatment of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD)and cognitive function of Alzheimer's disease(AD) patients. Methods From April 2015 to February 2016, 80 cases of moderate Alzheimer's disease (according to the clinical dementia rating scale, CDR) with symptoms of BPSD in Qingdao Mental Health Center were collected and randomly divided into treatment group and control group.Treatment group was given citalopram (10 to 30 mg/d ), the control group was given the same dose of placebo, and the patients in both group were given memantine (10 mg/bid) for 12 weeks.Simple mental state examination (MMSE) was used to measure cognitive function.Neural psychiatric questionnaire (NPI) measurement was used to evaluate BPSD and the TESS was used to assess adverse effects. Results Decreased scores of MMSE between the treatment group and the control group were respectively (0.67±0.77) and (0.26±0.68) after 12 weeks of treatment.There was significant difference in decreased scores of MMSE between the two groups (t=2.49, P=0.02) .The scores of NPI in agitation/attack(t=2.986, P=0.04), apathy(t=3.144, P=0.002), indifference/dysthymia (t=6.094, P=0.000)and anxiety(t=6.496, P=0.000) showed statistically significant differences between the two groups.There were no significant difference in TESS scores(P>0.05). The most frequently adverse events in the study included dizziness, headache, fatigue and nausea.QTc interval prolongation were found in participants treated with 30 mg citalopram per day in the study group. Conclusion Citalopram is an effective and safe drug in the treatment of BPSD and cognitive function associated with moderate AD. Key words: Citalopram; Alzheimer's disease; Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia; Cognitive function