[Chemotherapy in Alzheimer's disease. Retrospective study in a specialized hospital center]

In this study, our aim was to analyse the prescriptions of drugs used to improve Alzheimer's disease at CHS Paul Guiraud. This study was carried out a posteriori on 16 hospitalized patients. We have seen that for our patients there is no general rule, nor therapeutic scheme but the choice of treatment is carried out according to the professional experience of the physician. The treatment therefore is composed of symptomatic drugs alone or associated with etiologic drugs. Eleven anxiolytic or hypnotic drugs were prescribed. Alimemazine is the most prescribed in the sixteen cases. The preferential use of this drug can be explained by its presentation in the form of drops. In two cases, behavioural improvements were noted, in two other cases, we noted accentuation of dementia. Meprobamate used in seven cases of the sixteen, was never used alone. We find neuroleptics in fifteen of the sixteen cases studied: In seven cases they were administered from the beginning of the hospitalisation; for the others they were introduced later during a phase of agitation or delirium. On the whole, they were effective on aggressive agitation, in particular thioridazine. Eight of the patients, were treated with halopéridol. In two cases, the behaviour disorders were not stopped; in four cases, there was a worsening of dementia. We noted depression in 6 cases from the beginning of hospitalization, and two cases during hospitalization. The anti-depressive drugs besides their main effect, reduce also anxiety. In two cases, we observed an aggravation of disorientation and confusion following of the prescription of amitryptiline and mianserine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)