Background: To evaluate the impact of donepezil hydrochloride on the care burden on family members of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). At present, donepezil is the only drug approved for the treatment of AD in Japan. Although the care burden on primary caregivers of AD patients comprises both physical and psychological burdens and donepezil is recognized to improve cognitive dysfunction and associated symptoms, there are few data on the effects of the drug on the care burden.
Methods: Of the uninstitutionalized AD patients who visited a dementia clinic between June 2008 and May 2009 with their primary family caregivers, 416 subjects who satisfied the enrollment criteria were registered for the study. All participants provided informed consent. Assessment included changes in scores on the Japanese version of the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (J-ZBI) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), as well as the presence of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Caregivers answered the questionnaires at baseline and after 12 weeks treatment with donepezil (starting dose 3 mg, p.o., once daily, followed by 5 mg after 1 or 2 weeks).
Results: There were significant changes in mean scores on the J-ZBI (-1.9 +/- 9.5; P < 0.01) and MMSE (+0.9 +/- 2.9; P < 0.01) from baseline to Week 12, without significant correlation between these two scores. In patients with BPSD, there was a significant decrease in J-ZBI scores over the 12 weeks (P = 0.013); in contrast, in patients without BPSD, the decrease in the J-ZBI score did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.418).
Conclusions: The results indicate that donepezil improves cognitive function and some of the BPSD. As a possible consequence of improvements in BPSD, donepezil may also reduce caregivers' burden.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1479-8301.2009.00302.x | DOI Listing |
BMC Nurs
January 2025
Department of Orthopedic, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Objective: This study aims to analyze the medical-seeking behavior of Osteogenesis Imperfecta(OI) children in Southwest China, summarize and analyze the issues in their medical process, and propose corresponding improvement strategies.
Methods: A phenomenological study involving semi-structured interviews with 20 OI caregivers at a tertiary centre for children from March to August 2021 was analyzed thematically, following Anderson's model.
Results: We identified eight themes in the data: 1)Regional disparities of OI management, 2)Big economic burden, 3)High-risk population, 4)Lack of health education, 5)Multiple treatments,6)Strict treatment indications,7)Disappointing therapeutic outcomes,8)Effective or ineffective treatment results.
BMC Infect Dis
January 2025
Department of Family Medicine, Epidemiology & Community Health, School of Health Sciences, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya.
Background: HIV and HBV remain significant public health challenges characterized by high prevalence, morbidity, and mortality, especially among women of reproductive age in Uganda. Patients with HBV do not receive routine counselling and education, and there are limited resources for laboratory investigation coupled with a high loss to follow-up. This study set out to assess barriers and facilitators of integrated viral hepatitis B C and HIV care model to optimize screening uptake among mothers and newborns at health facilities in Koboko District, west Nile sub-region, Uganda.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Cancer
January 2025
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Background: People with malignancy of undefined primary origin (MUO) have a poor prognosis and may undergo a protracted diagnostic workup causing patient distress and high cancer related costs. Not having a primary diagnosis limits timely site-specific treatment and access to precision medicine. There is a need to improve the diagnostic process, and healthcare delivery and support for these patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAMB Express
January 2025
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44519, Egypt.
Candida albicans is a commensal fungus that naturally inhabits the vagina. However, overgrowth of C. albicans can result in vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), one of the most prevalent fungal infections affecting women.
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