Efficacy of Aromatherapy Against Behavioral and Psychological Disturbances in People With Dementia: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

J Am Med Dir Assoc

Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Taipei Neuroscience Institute, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Dementia Center and Department of Neurology, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan; Cochrane Taiwan, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address:

Published: November 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • Aromatherapy may help reduce behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and improve functional abilities in patients with dementia, as shown in a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
  • The analysis included 15 trials involving 821 participants, revealing significant reductions in agitation and neuropsychiatric symptoms after 3 to 4 weeks of treatment with aromatherapy compared to control groups.
  • While some trials indicated improvements in depressive moods, the study concluded that aromatherapy is a safe non-drug option for managing BPSD, particularly when combined with massage therapy.

Article Abstract

Objectives: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are common in people with dementia. Aromatherapy may reduce the frequency and severity of BPSD. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the efficacy of aromatherapy in relieving BPSD and improving functional ability in people with dementia.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Setting And Participants: Patients with dementia receiving aromatherapy.

Methods: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library for RCTs published before March 2024 comparing aromatherapy with control treatments in patients with dementia.

Results: There were 15 trials involving 821 patients. Overall, significant reduction in BPSD was observed after 1 month of aromatherapy treatment. Among 15 trials, 9 reported the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) score, and 7 evaluated the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) score. The meta-analysis showed significant improvement in CMAI score [weighted mean difference (WMD) -6.31, 95% CI -9.52 to -3.11] and NPI score (WMD -8.07, 95% CI -13.53 to -2.61) in patients receiving 3 to 4 weeks of aromatherapy compared with the control group. Four of the 15 trials reported improvement in depressive mood and 3 trials reported no significant improvement in functional ability.

Conclusions And Implications: In conclusion, aromatherapy is a safe and viable nonpharmacologic treatment to improve BPSD in people with dementia and its combination with massage showed higher efficacy.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2024.105199DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

people dementia
12
trials reported
12
efficacy aromatherapy
8
behavioral psychological
8
meta-analysis randomized
8
randomized controlled
8
controlled trials
8
systematic review
8
cmai score
8
npi score
8

Similar Publications

Metabolomics provide a promising tool for understanding dementia pathogenesis and identifying novel biomarkers. This study aimed to identify amino acid biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and Vascular Dementia (VD). By amino acid metabolomics, the concentrations of amino acids were determined in the serum of AD and VD patients as well as age-matched healthy controls.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Down syndrome (DS) is strongly associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) due to APP overexpression, exhibiting Amyloid-β (Aβ) and Tau pathology similar to early-onset (EOAD) and late-onset AD (LOAD). We evaluated the Aβ plaque proteome of DS, EOAD, and LOAD using unbiased localized proteomics on post-mortem paraffin-embedded tissues from four cohorts (n = 20/group): DS (59.8 ± 4.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques in the brain, contributing to neurodegeneration. This study investigates lipid alterations within these plaques using a novel, label-free, multimodal approach. Combining infrared (IR) imaging, machine learning, laser microdissection (LMD), and flow injection analysis mass spectrometry (FIA-MS), we provide the first comprehensive lipidomic analysis of chemically unaltered Aβ plaques in post-mortem human AD brain tissue.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Effective detection of cognitive impairment in the primary care setting is limited by lack of time and specialized expertise to conduct detailed objective cognitive testing and few well-validated cognitive screening instruments that can be administered and evaluated quickly without expert supervision. We therefore developed a model cognitive screening program to provide relatively brief, objective assessment of a geriatric patient's memory and other cognitive abilities in cases where the primary care physician suspects but is unsure of the presence of a deficit.

Methods: Referred patients were tested during a 40-min session by a psychometrist or trained nurse in the clinic on a brief battery of neuropsychological tests that assessed multiple cognitive domains.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Prevalence and associated factors of healthy aging among community-dwelling older adults in Lishui city, China: a cross-sectional study.

BMC Public Health

January 2025

Department of Nursing, School of Medicine, Lishui University, No. 1 Xueyuan Road, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, 323000, China.

Background: Identifying the level of healthy aging and exploring its associated factors are prerequisites in the planning of effective measures among the elderly population. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of healthy aging and determine its associated factors among community-dwelling older adults from mountain areas in Lishui, China.

Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional survey was conducted.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!