The clinical effect of bifemelane hydrochloride on dementia in aged patients.

The effect of bifemelane hydrochloride on dementia in the elderly was studied in thirty-one patients having cerebrovascular disorders. Alzheimer's disease, Parkinsonism and related diseases. The drug (150 mg) was administered orally three times daily for 10 weeks. The final global improvement rating was 77.4% for all patients. The rates of improvement for Alzheimer's disease were higher than those for cerebrovascular disorders, suggesting that this drug affects Alzheimer's disease through a cholinergic potentiating action. Psychotic, neurological and subjective symptoms, and the activity of daily life, were rated before, during and after treatment. All mean rates of improvement were based on observations made in the 4th week after the start of treatment. Improvement rates for global symptoms were more than 80% for emotional incontinence and prejudice or querulous attitudes toward the nurses, and in headache, tinnitus and dizziness among the subjective symptoms. The improvement in intellectual function was evaluated by the dementia rating scale for the elderly (DRSE), and a significant increase was found in DRSE after treatment with this drug. Side effects attributable to the drug were noted in one patient developing urticaria. It is thus suggested that bifemelane hydrochloride is useful in the treatment of different symptoms of dementia.