Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41350983›Full record

ArticleBMC geriatrics2025

Treatment patterns of symptomatic treatments for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Huiwen Deng, Todd A Lee, Charles E Gaber, Kibum Kim, Stephanie Y Crawford, Elizabeth A Bayliss, Sonal Singh, Jessica G Young, Sengwee Toh, Xiaojuan Li

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC geriatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Huiwen DengDepartment of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes, and Policy, University of Illinois Chicago, 833 South Wood Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, US.
Todd A LeeDepartment of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes, and Policy, University of Illinois Chicago, 833 South Wood Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, US.
Charles E GaberDepartment of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes, and Policy, University of Illinois Chicago, 833 South Wood Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, US.
Kibum KimDepartment of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes, and Policy, University of Illinois Chicago, 833 South Wood Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, US.
Stephanie Y CrawfordDepartment of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes, and Policy, University of Illinois Chicago, 833 South Wood Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, US.
Elizabeth A BaylissInstitute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Central Support Services, 16601 East Centretech Parkway, Aurora, CO, 80011, US.
Sonal SinghDepartment of Family Medicine and Community Health, UMass Chan Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester , MA, 01655, US.
Jessica G YoungDepartment of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, 401 Park Drive, Suite 401 East, Boston, MA, 02215, US.
Sengwee TohDepartment of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, 401 Park Drive, Suite 401 East, Boston, MA, 02215, US.
Xiaojuan LiDepartment of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, 401 Park Drive, Suite 401 East, Boston, MA, 02215, US. Xiaojuan_Li@hphci.harvard.edu.

Funding

Research Continuity and Retention Supplement: Optimizing care for older adults in the new treatment era for type 2 diabetes and heart failureK01AG073651 · NIA · HARVARD PILGRIM HEALTH CARE, INC. · PI Xiaojuan Li · 2022 to 2026
$700k
Novel causal inference methods to inform clinical decision on when to discontinue symptomatic treatment for patients with dementiaR03AG070661 · NIA · HARVARD PILGRIM HEALTH CARE, INC. · PI LI, XIAOJUAN · 2021 to 2022
$332k
NIA NIH HHS K01 AG073651NIA NIH HHS R03 AG070661
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLimited real-world evidence exists on the patterns of symptomatic treatment use for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD).

methodsUsing data from the Merative® MarketScan Research Databases, we analyzed treatment patterns in ADRD patients aged ≥ 65 from 2011 to 2021. Initial treatment choices, subsequent changes, and factors influencing these changes were evaluated over an 18-month period.

resultsAmong 74,212 acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI) and 15,917 memantine initiators, 56% switched or discontinued their initial treatment within 6 months. By 18 months, 15% of monotherapy initiators remained on initial treatment and 19% escalated to dual therapy, with 13% of AChEI initiators switching to memantine. After discontinuation, 73% reinitiated treatment within 18 months. Patients with milder dementia severity, fewer comorbidities, and lower frailty levels were more likely to switch to alternative treatments.

conclusionsPatients with ADRD demonstrated low persistence with their initial symptomatic therapy, coupled with high rates of re-initiation following discontinuation.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseCholinesterase InhibitorsDementiaMemantineAgedAged, 80 and overDatabases, FactualFemaleHumansMaleTreatment OutcomeCholinesterase InhibitorsMemantineAcetylcholinesterase inhibitorsAlzheimer’s disease and related dementiasDementiaMemantineTreatment utilization

Identifiers

PMID41350983
PMCPMC12797712

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.