One of the most challenging symptoms of Alzheimer disease for caregivers is patients' repetitive behaviours -- asking the same question or telling a story multiple times, or uncontrollable repetition of words, phrases or actions.
In fact, in a recent survey, Canadian caregivers listed this as one of two main triggers causing them to bring the patient to a doctor initially, and the behaviour has also been identified as a major factor in the eventual decision to have the patient institutionalized.
However, a recent study, analyzing results from the VISTA trial, conducted at 14 Canadian sites, shows promise for the drug Reminyl in controlling this frustrating symptom.
The VISTA analysis evaluated the effectiveness of the medication on several preset goals in 130 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's. A median of three to six goals were set for each patient in areas of cognition, function, leisure and social activity and included recognizing family and friends, re-learning how to use a television remote control, and playing piano again in addition to reducing verbal repetition.
The results showed that 58 per cent of the patients on Reminyl experienced a reduction in verbal repetition, compared with 24 per cent in the group on placebo.
"Verbal repetition is a common hallmark of Alzheimer disease and is a challenge for patients and caregivers alike," says Dr. Kenneth Rockwood, lead investigator and a professor of geriatric medicine at Dalhousie University and physician at Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax. "The VISTA analysis confirms that this frustrating symptom can be reduced with therapy such as Reminyl."
The study also showed that reduction in verbal repetition is an indicator of overall treatment response -- when repetition improved, patients were also more likely to achieve other preset goals.
In other clinical trials with more than 2,600 patients, treatment with Reminyl has shown significant improvement in cognitive, functional and behavioural symptoms.
The study was published in the journal Neurology.
