Reassessment of the dementia diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in patients enrolled on the cholinesterase inhibitors dispensation program

OBJECTIVE: Reassess the diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) in patients treated with anti-cholinesterases dispensed by High Cost Drug stores (Exceptional Drugs Program). METHODS: A prospective study to reassess the diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's Disease was conducted (AD). The patients were submitted to the protocol of dementia investigation at the Neurogeriatric Outpatient Clinic of the Teaching Hospital de Base de São José do Rio Preto. Groups were classified using the criteria of the National Institute of Neurologic and Communicative Diseases and Vascular Cerebral Accident and Alzheimer Disease Related Association (NINCDS-ADRDA). The study was completed by applying the Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD). The significance level was set at 5%. RESULTS: 106 patients participated, selected randomly from a group of 390 patients contacted when receiving their medication at the High Cost Drug store. Two groups were formed: the first, containing 52 patients who fulfilled criteria for AD (FC Group); and a second, with 54 patients not fulfilling criteria (NFC). The FC Group had older age, worse performance on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) and poorer performance on the DAD. Also, treatment time was longer and drugs doses higher in the FC Group. CONCLUSION: Study results showed a high number of patients using anti-cholinesterases that did not fulfill the diagnosis criteria for probable AD. Comparison of the two groups revealed different behavior between them, corroborating the hypothesis of inadequate inclusion of the NFC Group patients in the Exceptional Drugs Program.