Pharmacist's role in pharmacotherapeutic management of Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Alzheimer Disease (AD) characterized by the progressive cognitive and functional impairment, is the most common form of dementia affecting people worldwide. In this study, we aimed to investigate the profile of patients with AD, the perception of caregivers about the disease and the role of pharmacist in the pharmacotherapy of AD by implementing a questionnaire for the caregivers of 44 patients with AD. 70% of the evaluated patients with AD is female gender and in 52% of the cases, hypertension co-exists with AD. The combination of memantine/donepezil (34%) was found the most commonly used pharmacological treatment in the patients which was associated with various adverse effects such as headache, insomnia, fatigue, and hallucinations. An average of 70% of the caregivers benefit from the pharmacists in regard to the use of drugs (94%), information about disease and side effects (48%) and drug-drug interactions (42%). Additionally, the 77% of caregivers who benefit from pharmacists were well satisfied with this support. In conclusion, patients with AD and their caregivers need a professional assistance regarding the use of drugs and modalities how to fight with the disease. Pharmacists play a significant role in both following the pharmacotherapy of AD patients and the education of caregivers. Thus, pharmacist's role in the management of rational pharmacotherapy should be strengthened by providing a continued educational support.