Early manifestations of dementing illness: treatment with glycosaminoglycan polysulfate.

1. In a multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial in 156 elderly patients with psychopathologic symptoms, glycosaminoglycan polysulfate was found to be a therapeutically effective agent in the treatment of the earliest manifestations of a dementing process. 2. Treatment with glycosaminoglycan polysulfate in the daily dosage of 600 LRU, administered on the basis of a divided dosage schedule for 24 weeks, was significantly superior to an inactive placebo on several outcome measures including the SCAG Total and factor scores (i.e., Cognitive Dysfunction, Withdrawal, Agitation/Irritability and Depression), the NOWLIS Total and Fatiguability factor scores, the MMSE, the HAM-D Total and Vegetative Symptoms factor score and the CGI Severity of Illness and Global Improvement. 3. The drug was well tolerated; vital signs and laboratory measures did not show clinically significant changes within the experimental period.