Dementia in Alzheimers disease: How well do cholinesterase inhibitors work?
Cholinesterase inhibitors can delay the loss of brain function in people who have mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. This means that they may help people to remain independent in everyday life for longer. It is not clear whether cholinesterase inhibitors work better than other treatments do. Dementia is a chronic and progressive disease affecting the brain, in which the nerve cells gradually change or become damaged over time. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. This disease causes the person’s mental abilities, memory and emotional control to deteriorate. It becomes increasingly difficult to master everyday activities which used to be easy, such as going shopping, doing household chores, eating and drinking. Accompanying symptoms, including depression, anxiety and sleeping problems, can seriously reduce quality of life too. As the disease progresses, carers have to support and look after their loved ones more and more, and they have to find a way to cope with t
