Effekt av citalopram på emosjonelle forstyrrelser hos pasienter med Alzheimer demens

Abstract

Emotional symptoms like irritability, emotional lability, confusion, anxiety, and restlessness are common in patients with senile dementia. The symptoms are often associated with disruptive behaviour and may be the main reason for admitting the patients to a health institution. Research findings suggest that the emotional symptoms observed in patients with senile dementia may be caused by a reduced activity in the central serotonergic system. This finding indicated that selective 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) reuptake inhibitors may be an effective and rational treatment of emotional symptoms in senile dementia. In the present paper we review the results of a controlled Nordic multi-centre trial of citalopram, a selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitor, on emotional symptoms in patients with Alzheimer dementia or senile dementia of the Alzheimer type. Improvement in emotional symptoms was observed in approximately 80% of the patients after 12 weeks' treatment with citalopram. Confusion was clinically significantly ...