Barbara J. Messinger-Rapport, MD, PhD Section of Geriatric Medicine, Department of General Internal Medicine, The Cleveland Clinic
Address: Barbara J. Messinger-Rapport, MD, PhD, Section of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, A91, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195
The author has indicated that she is on the speaker’s bureau of the Pfizer corporation.
This paper discusses treatments that are experimental or that are not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the use under discussion.
Medical Grand Rounds articles are based on edited transcripts from Division of Medicine Grand Rounds presentations at The Cleveland Clinic. They are approved by the author but are not peer-reviewed.
ABSTRACTAlzheimer disease follows a pattern of gradual cognitive, behavioral, and functional decline. Other causes of dementia have overlapping presentations, but with important differences. Most patients with mild to moderate dementia should be treated with cholinesterase inhibitors to temporarily stabilize symptoms and delay clinically important end points. Memantine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist, may soon be available to treat moderate to severe dementia.
