Effect of Combination Therapies on Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

Background:

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a gradually advancing form of dementia that impacts 24 million individuals globally. Recent research has identified numerous novel multi-target medications aimed at improving Alzheimer's disease symptoms to enhance patients' quality of life. This study aims to investigate the effect of combination therapies on Alzheimer's disease.

Method

A retrospective observational study analyzed the impacts of combination therapy vs standard therapy in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. The patients were categorized into three groups: a control group receiving standard Cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs), a drug-drug combination group receiving ChEIs with Memantine, and a drug-lifestyle intervention group receiving ChEIs alongside lifestyle adjustments. The study comprised 67 patients diagnosed with AD, extracted from medical information from January 2023 to January 2024.

Results

Quality of life markers diminished in the control group by 1% to 3%, whereas the second and third groups had an increase. The MIMNI Mental Scale B index declined by 1% to 3% in the control group, whereas the Katz ADL Scale B index diminished by 2% to 5% in the second group, and the Barthel Index fell by 3% to 5% in the control group. The Dementia Behavior Scale declined by 2% to 5% in the control group, whereas the second and third groups experienced an increase. The control group experienced a decline in medical examinations by 1% to 4%, but the second and third groups observed an increase.

Conclusion

Combination therapy either in drug-drug group or drug-lifestyle group showed significant improvement in the scores of each used scale indicating that combination therapy is more effective than single therapy in management of AD. Drug-lifestyle group showed significant improvement over the drug-drug group.