Abstract
Aim: To evaluate the long-term effectiveness of rivastigmine patch or capsule on mild to severe Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Method: We performed a meta-analysis of 17 studies regarding the treatment effectiveness of rivastigmine patch or capsule on mild-to-severe AD. Results: Significant difference exists between treatment with rivastigmine patch or capsule and placebo groups (p-value < 0.001). In the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog) score evaluation, a negative weighted mean difference (WMD) was observed in overall and mild-moderate groups after rivastigmine treatment. And in ADAS-ADL score evaluation, a positive WMD was observed in overall groups after rivastigmine treatment. Moreover, WMD value is lower in patch administration subgroup compared to that of capsule administration subgroup. Conclusion: Rivastigmine treatment shows a positive result of improving the condition of patients with mild-to-severe AD. Patch administration shows a stronger effect on decreasing ADAS-Cog score compared to capsule administration.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the departments of Neurology, Psychiatry and endocrinology and Information Centre in Liaocheng People’s Hospital for their support.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.