Pharmacological treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms of XXXX : a review of the evidence.

@entity1 @entity308 @entity64 @entity146 @entity303 @entity1092 @entity3393 @entity1833 @entity837 @entity2146 @entity1037 @entity2049 @entity1090
STUDY DESIGN AND OBJECTIVE: Systemic review of double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses of medication efficacy in the treatment of @entity1 diagnosed with @entity303 and experiencing neuropsychiatric symptoms( @entity1833 , delusions, @entity2146 , @entity146 , combativeness, wandering). EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Studies were excluded if they reported only @entity308 , if the medication was not available no longer used in the United States, or duplicated another study already included. DATA SOURCES: Medline of English articles between 1966 and June 2004, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and a manual search by the authors for other relevant articles. OUTCOMES: Diverse outcome measures ranging from global benefit to behavioral rating scales. Some of the 29 reports listed several instruments; in total, 24 rating scales were used. Statistical outcome was described and some, but not all, noted clinical impression. Adverse outcomes were listed. RESULTS: The results were clustered in groups: conventional antipsychotics, atypicals, antidepressants, cholinesterase inhibitors, mood stabilizers, and others. Treatment duration ranged from 17 days to 16 weeks. Types of @entity303 and levels of severity varied. The authors reported little benefit and some evidence for harm for typical (or conventional) agents. In contrast, some RCTs of atypical antipsychotics reported "modest" benefit, with @entity1037 and @entity1090 leading others. Although trials reported minimal side effects at low doses, authors acknowledged an increased risk for @entity64 . No studies adequately compared benefit of typical with atypical agents. With the possible exception of @entity837 , antidepressant agents did not reduce @entity2146 , but did improve @entity308 . Cholinesterase inhibiting agents demonstrated significant efficacy toward behavior, while @entity3393 had mixed results. @entity1092 did not prove to be efficacious, and results for @entity2049 were conflicting.
