Hypertension News:

Alzheimer Drug Reminyl May Help Some Stroke Victims

A newly approved drug for mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease may also be effective in treating dementia symptoms caused by cerebrovascular disease, according to Finnish researchers.

As reported in the April 12th issue of the Lancet, the study found that the drug Reminyl (galantamine hydrobromide) helped improve memory, language, reasoning skills, ability to perform activities of daily living and behavior in these patients.

Cerebrovascular disease is a primary cause or contributing factor in about one in four individuals with dementia. The researchers said no other treatment has been documented effective in treating such individuals.

"As a result, they often went untreated. Research such as this offers persuasive evidence that dementia patients can be helped, even when cerebrovascular disease -- usually one or more strokes -- is present," said Dr. Timo Erkinjuntti, the study's lead author and a faculty member of the Memory Research Unit at the Helsinki University Central Hospital.

In the six-month study, 592 patients diagnosed with vascular or mixed dementia were either given Reminyl or a placebo. Three-fourths of those receiving Reminyl remained stable or improved after six months compared with 54 percent of those receiving a placebo. The ability to think and remember improved or remained stable in 64 percent of the patients taking Reminyl versus 51 percent of those taking a placebo.

Reminyl is thought to inhibit an enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine -- a critical chemical in the brain that plays a key role in memory and learning. In addition, it is believed that Reminyl modulates the brain's nicotinic receptors, to which acetylcholine binds. Laboratory research suggests that through this action, Reminyl stimulates greater release of the chemical.

Source: Hypertension Week of April 14, 2002