March 07, 2008
Donepezil is a common drug used to treat the cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. A new study by researchers says that it could be used to reduce the sleep disturbances in the patients.
It's long believed that Alzheimer's patients usually experience sleep-disordered breathing and this drug, called donepezil, may reduce these disturbances.
The researchers evaluated the effect of Donepezil, on obstructive sleep apnea in 23 patients with Alzheimer disease in a randomized, double-blind design.
For the study, the patients were categorised into two groups: Donepezil-treated (11) and placebo-treated (12), and polysomnography and cognitive evaluations were performed at baseline and 3 months.
After the test period, it was found that patients treated with Donepezil were found to have improved oxygen saturation, apnea-hypopnea index scores, and cognitive scores, and also increased sleep duration, as compared with those treated with placebo.
Source: medindia.com
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