Drug prescription patterns in patients with Alzheimer's disease in an urban neuro-specialty clinic in Western India

Abstract

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most common forms of dementia worldwide with only symptomatic therapies available. In India, there seems to be a scarcity of data regarding drugs prescribed for symptomatic treatment of AD. Aims and Objectives: The objective of this study was to find out drug prescription patterns in AD patients in an urban neuro-speciality clinic in Western India. Materials and Methods: Retrospective data were collected from 100 case files of patients diagnosed with AD visiting a private neuro-speciality clinic. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: The mean age of patients suffering from AD was 74.9 ± 0.9 years. About 90% of patients were >65 years old, with a female preponderance of 56%. About 60% of patients belonged to rural areas and 40% belonged to urban areas. Mini-mental state examination scores revealed a mean score of 14.84 ± 1.20. Regarding drug utilization pattern, 73% of patients were prescribed Donepezil, 15% were on donepezil and memantine, 7% on rivastigmine, and 5% on Galantamine. Donepezil, memantine, donamem, and galantamine were prescribed in tablet form while rivastigmine in capsule form. Only in 15% prescriptions brand name and fixed-dose combinations were used. Conclusion: Despite decades of study of basic etiology and pathogenesis of AD and significant pharmaceutical industrial efforts to develop therapies, till date, there is no effective therapy available to cure AD. AD needs to be understood and analyzed in terms of its prescribing. Patients suffering from dementia and AD should be screened and treated at an early stage. Anticholinesterase drugs and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor blockers were the most common drugs used for symptomatic treatment of AD.