Risperidone in the treatment of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia in patients diagnosed with vascular or mixed-type dementia.

Objective Studies have found that the atypical antipsychotic drug, risperidone, reduces non-cognitive symptoms, such as aggression, agitation, and psychosis, in patients with Alzheimer's disease. This study assessed whether these effects extend to patients with vascular or mixed-type dementia. Methods In this multicentre, open-label, prospective study, 75 elderly patients with vascular or mixed-type dementia and concomitant behavioural and psychological symptoms were treated with risperidone for up to 6 months. Results Risperidone decreased the frequency and severity of overall behavioural and psychological symptoms, as determined by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, to a mean total score of 7.2±0.7 at end-point compared with 21.0±1.5 at baseline (P<0.001). Risperidone improved functional capacity (Blessed Dementia Rating Scale, Reisberg's Global Deterioration Scale) and depression (Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia). A total of four adverse events (5.3%) were spontaneously reported: two cases of hypotension, one of somnolence, and one of paresthesia. Scores on the Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogeler extrapyramidal symptom subscale remained stable from baseline to end-point. Conclusion Overall, these findings indicate that risperidone was effective in reducing behavioural and psychological symptoms and was well tolerated, particularly with respect to extrapyramidal symptoms, in this elderly population diagnosed with vascular or mixed-type dementia.