Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics
| Donepezil | Rivastigmine | Galantamine | Total subjects | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | N = 456/54% | N = 183/22% | N = 204/24% | N = 843 | |
| Female gender | 295/65% | 106/58% | 133/65% | 534/63% | 0.229 |
| APOE ε4 carrier, (n = 829) | 303/68% | 119/66% | 143/72% | 565/68% | 0.456 |
| Solitary living at baseline | 173/38%a | 40/22%b | 72/35%a | 285/34% | < 0.001 |
| Completion rate after three years | 190/42% | 85/46% | 93/46% | 368/44% | 0.447 |
| Antihypertensives/Cardiac therapy | 177/39% | 83/45% | 70/35% | 330/39% | 0.096 |
| Anti-diabetics | 16/4%a | 8/4%a, b | 16/8%b | 40/5% | 0.048 |
| Lipid-lowering agents | 29/6%a | 30/16%b | 33/16%b | 92/11% | < 0.001 |
| Estrogens | 38/8% | 13/7% | 8/4% | 59/7% | 0.124 |
| NSAIDs/Acetylsalicylic acid | 127/28% | 65/36% | 61/30% | 253/30% | 0.160 |
| Antidepressants | 114/25% | 42/23% | 53/26% | 209/25% | 0.754 |
| Antipsychotics | 26/6%a | 4/2%a, b | 3/2%b | 33/4% | 0.015 |
| Anxiolytics/Sedatives/Hypnotics | 63/14% | 26/14% | 24/12% | 113/13% | 0.750 |
| Variable | Mean ± standard deviation (SD) | P-value | |||
| Estimated age at onset, years | 72.6 ± 6.8a | 71.6 ± 7.9a, b | 70.9 ± 8.4b | 71.9 ± 7.4 | 0.023 |
| Estimated AD duration, years | 3.1 ± 2.2 | 3.1 ± 2.5 | 2.9 ± 1.6 | 3.0 ± 2.1 | 0.380 |
| Age at first assessment, years | 75.7 ± 6.4a | 74.6 ± 7.5a, b | 73.7 ± 8.1b | 75.0 ± 7.1 | 0.004 |
| Education, years | 9.3 ± 2.4a | 9.0 ± 2.3a | 10.0 ± 2.8b | 9.4 ± 2.5 | < 0.001 |
| MMSE score at baseline | 21.2 ± 3.8 | 21.6 ± 3.8 | 21.8 ± 3.6 | 21.4 ± 3.8 | 0.070 |
| ADAS-cog score (0 to 70) at baseline | 21.8 ± 8.8a | 19.6 ± 8.9b | 18.7 ± 8.7b | 20.6 ± 8.9 | < 0.001 |
| IADL score at baseline | 16.7 ± 5.5a | 15.3 ± 5.1b | 14.4 ± 5.3b | 15.9 ± 5.4 | < 0.001 |
| PSMS score at baseline | 7.6 ± 2.3a | 7.4 ± 1.8a, b | 7.1 ± 2.0b | 7.4 ± 2.1 | 0.013 |
| Number of medications at baseline | 2.8 ± 2.3 | 3.0 ± 2.6 | 2.8 ± 2.5 | 2.8 ± 2.4 | 0.448 |
| Mean dose of ChEI during the entire follow-up period, mg/day | 7.1 ± 1.8 | 6.5 ± 2.1 | 16.1 ± 3.4 | ||
| Follow up-visits per subject | 5.9 ± 1.8 | 6.1 ± 1.7 | 6.1 ± 1.7 | 6.0 ± 1.8 | 0.380 |
a, b Results from post hoc tests (Bonferroni correction) are indicated by superscript letters (two groups with the same letter do not differ significantly within that variable).
Abbreviations: ADAS-cog, Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale; APOE, Apolipoprotein E; ChEI, cholinesterase inhibitors; IADL, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale; MMSE, Mini-Mental State Examination; NSAID, Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; PSMS, Physical Self-Maintenance Scale.