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 dementiaaffecting people worldwide. In this study, we aimed to investigate the profile of patients with AD, the perception of caregivers about thedisease and the role of pharmacist in the pharmacotherapy of AD by implementing a questionnaire for the caregivers of 44 patientswith AD. 70% of the evaluated patients with AD is female gender and in 52% of the cases, hypertension co-exists with AD. The combinationof memantine/donepezil (34%) was found the most commonly used pharmacological treatment in the patients which was associatedwith various adverse effects such as headache, insomnia, fatigue, and hallucinations. An average of 70% of the caregivers benefitfrom 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, patientswith 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’srole in the management of rational pharmacotherapy should be strengthened by providing a continued educational support.