Donepezil treatment in Alzheimer's disease patients with and without cerebrovascular lesions: A preliminary report

Aim: Donepezil has not been evaluated in Korean patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) for up to 1year. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the differential efficacy of donepezil in Korean AD patients with and without concomitant cerebrovascular lesions (CVL).Methods: This study was a 48-week open-label trial of donepezil in patients with probable AD of mild to moderate severity. CVL were evaluated through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings within 3months. Efficacy analyses were performed for cognitive, behavioral and functional outcome measures.Results: Concomitant CVL were documented in 35 (30.7%) of the patients on MRI. Seventy-nine (69.3%) of the patients were considered not to have concomitant CVL. The mean Mini-Mental State Examination scores of both patients with and without CVL showed improvement at each evaluation. However, there was no statistical difference in improvement between the groups.Conclusion: The presence of CVL should not deter clinicians from treating AD with donepezil.