Cholinesterase inhibitors for the treatment of dementia: real-life data in Hungary

Dementia is one of the leading causes of death and disability in older population. Previous reports have shown that antidementia medications are associated with longer survival; nonetheless, the prevalence of their use and the compliance with them are quite different worldwide. There is hardly any available information about the pharmacoepidemiology of these drugs in the Eastern-European region; we aimed to analyze the use of cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEis) for the treatment of dementia to provide real-life information from the Eastern European region. All medical and medication prescription reports of the in- and outpatient specialist services collected in the NEUROHUN database in Hungary were analyzed between 2013 and 2016. Survival, adherence, and persistence values were calculated. 8803 patients were treated with ChEis during the study period, which was only 14.5% of the diagnosed demented patients. The survival of treated patients (more than 4 years) was significantly longer than patients without ChEi treatment (2.50 years). The best compliance was observed with rivastigmine patch. Choosing the appropriate medication as soon as possible after the dementia diagnosis may lead to increased life expectancy.