Table 2.
Factors that affected the lifespan of AD patients after the start of ChEI treatment (final general linear cognitive and global models)
| MMSE | ADAS-cog | CIBIC | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R = 0.399, R 2 = 0.159, P < 0.001 | R = 0.405, R 2 = 0.164, P < 0.001 | R = 0.365, R 2 = 0.133, P < 0.001 | ||||
| Significant predictors | β (95% CI) | P value | β (95% CI) | P value | β (95% CI) | P value |
| Intercept | 7.782 (4.742, 10.823) | <0.001 | 9.796 (6.880, 12.712) | <0.001 | 9.848 (6.994, 12.702) | <0.001 |
| MMSE or ADAS-cog score at baseline | 0.066 (0.008, 0.124) | 0.025 | −0.031 (−0.055, −0.007) | 0.013 | na | |
| Change in MMSE or ADAS-cog score after 6 months of ChEI therapya | 0.072 (0.009, 0.135) | 0.025 | ns | na | ||
| CIBIC score at baseline | na | na | −0.458 (−0.722, −0.195) | 0.001 | ||
| Worsening in CIBIC (score 5–7) after 6 months of ChEI therapy (no = 0, yes = 1) | na | na | −0.502 (−1.001, −0.003) | 0.048 | ||
| Sex (male = 0, female = 1) | 0.888 (0.473, 1.302) | <0.001 | 0.886 (0.467, 1.304) | <0.001 | 1.029 (0.614, 1.443) | <0.001 |
| Antihypertensive/cardiac therapy (no = 0, yes = 1) | −0.646 (−1.053, −0.239) | 0.002 | −0.663 (−1.075, −0.252) | 0.002 | −0.512 (−0.924, −0.100) | 0.015 |
| Antidiabetics (no = 0, yes = 1) | −1.563 (−2.537, −0.588) | 0.002 | −1.627 (−2.607, −0.646) | 0.001 | −1.614 (−2.578, −0.650) | 0.001 |
| Age at first assessment (years) | −0.052 (−0.084, −0.019) | 0.002 | −0.051 (−0.084, −0.019) | 0.002 | −0.062 (−0.093, −0.031) | <0.001 |
| Education (years) | −0.104 (−0.189, −0.019) | 0.016 | −0.104 (−0.189, −0.020) | 0.015 | ns | |
| IADL score at baseline | −0.070 (−0.113, −0.027) | 0.001 | −0.074 (−0.117, −0.031) | 0.001 | na | |
| ChEI doseb | 0.021 (0.009, 0.033) | <0.001 | 0.023 (0.011, 0.034) | <0.001 | 0.022 (0.010, 0.034) | <0.001 |
Apolipoprotein E genotype, solitary living, age at onset, basic ADL ability, number of medications and specific concomitant medications (lipid-lowering agents, estrogens, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs/acetylsalicylic acid, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anxiolytics/sedatives/hypnotics) used at the start of ChEI treatment (baseline) were not significant.
β values were unstandardized and are expressed per 1 unit increase for continuous variables, and for the condition present for dichotomous variables.
aFor clarity, clinical improvements for all scales were calculated as positive changes from baseline.
bMean percentage of the maximum recommended dose during the first 6 months of ChEI therapy, i.e., 10 mg for donepezil, 12 mg for rivastigmine, and 24 mg for galantamine.
Abbreviations: ADAS-cog Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale, ChEI cholinesterase inhibitors, CI confidence interval, CIBIC Clinician’s Interview-Based Impression of Change, IADL Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, MMSE Mini-Mental State Examination, na not applicable, ns not significant.