Rivastigmine in subcortical vascular dementia: An open 22-month study

Further to recent data indicating that patients with vascular dementia (VaD) show a cholinergic deficit, we aimed to determine whether rivastigmine, a dual inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), has any effects on the symptoms of VaD. Patients aged 65–80, with a diagnosis of dementia and probable VaD, received rivastigmine 3–6 mg/day ( n=8) or cardioaspirin ( n=8) in an open study for 22 months. At 22 months, patients treated with rivastigmine showed significant improvements in executive function and behavioural symptoms (both p