The Utilization of Reversible Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors Case Study

The Utilization of Reversible Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors - Case Study Example Apparently, there is the need for more data to confirm current preliminary findings, as well as for more data on head-to-head comparisons of the reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. The purpose of this paper is to review the available literature on the utilization of reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in the management of Alzheimer’s dementia. The review will address issues of current interest surrounding the mechanism of action of the reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, the difficulties associated with designing appropriate clinical trial methodologies, issues concerning the relevance of current trial methodologies to long-term care settings, the current state of knowledge with regard to a putative neuroprotective effect of the reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, new technological methods for assessing efficacy of reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and issues with available information on parallel comparisons between the commonly used reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Finally, practical issues surrounding the clinical use of the reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors will be reviewed, with a focus on associa ted adverse drug reactions and optimization of dosage regimens. In the United States, there are estimated to be possibly up to 4.8 million cases (Brookmeyer, Gray, & Kawas, 1998). It is predominant among the people over 65 (Hebert et al., 1995) with a prevalence of about 6% to 8%, and more than 50% of people aged 85 years and older experience bouts of dementia (Jay M. Ellis, 2005; Samanta et al., 2006) . Given the current population demographic trends in the United States and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease, the National Institutes of Health has projected that, by the year 2030, there could be 8.5 million Alzheimer’s patients in America (J. M. Ellis & Ellis, 2005) . Alzheimer’s dementia incapacitates the sufferers from performing normal activities of daily living (ADL), and as the disease worsens, they become unable to function without assistance and have to rely on other people for their everyday care, whether family caregivers or nursing home care providers (Bullock & Bullock, 2004; Jay M. Ellis, 2005).