Rivastigmine for Dementia Associated with Parkinson's Disease

In this 24-week randomized study of patients with dementia associated with Parkinson's disease, outcomes were better among patients treated with rivastigmine than among those who received placebo. Clinicians observed clinical improvement in 19.8 percent of patients in the rivastigmine group and 14.5 percent of patients in the placebo group and clinical worsening in 13.0 percent and 23.1 percent, respectively. In this study of patients with dementia associated with Parkinson's disease, outcomes were better among patients treated with rivastigmine than among those who received placebo. Dementia is common among patients with Parkinson's disease, with an average prevalence of 40 percent in cross-sectional studies 1 and a cumulative prevalence approaching 80 percent. 2 The clinical phenotype is characterized by cognitive slowing, attentional deficits, and executive, visuospatial, and memory impairments 3 and shares many clinical and pathological similarities with dementia with Lewy bodies. 4 Dementia associated with Parkinson's disease is accompanied by a reduced quality of life for both patients 5 and caregivers 6 and by rapid functional and motor decline. 7 The pathological correlates of dementia associated with Parkinson's disease are not fully established, but numerous Lewy bodies are found outside of the . . .