Table 2.
Treatment effects of paracetamol and placebo on quality of life, discomfort, pain and neuropsychiatric symptoms. N = 95 (baseline), N = 86 (end of study)
| Intervention | Mean difference | 95% CI | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QUALIDEM-6D† | ||||
| Total score | Paracetamol | 1.3 | -1.0–3.5 | 0.876 |
| Placebo | 1.5 | -0.7–3.8 | ||
| A—Care relationship | Paracetamol | 2.9 | -1.0–6.9 | 0.128 |
| Placebo | -1.4 | -5.3–2.5 | ||
| B—Positive affect | Paracetamol | 0.3 | -3.7–4.3 | 0.872 |
| Placebo | 0.7 | -3.2–4.7 | ||
| C—Negative affect | Paracetamol | 2.6 | -1.4–6.6 | 0.919 |
| Placebo | 2.9 | -1.0–6.9 | ||
| D—Restless tense behaviour | Paracetamol | 2.1 | -3.1–7.3 | 0.955 |
| Placebo | 2.3 | -2.8–7.5 | ||
| F—Social relationships | Paracetamol | -1.1 | -5.3–3.1 | 0.192 |
| Placebo | 2.9 | -1.3–7.0 | ||
| G—Social isolation | Paracetamol | 0.9 | -3.6–5.3 | 0.803 |
| Placebo | 0.1 | -4.3–4.5 | ||
| DS-DAT‡ | Paracetamol | -0.1 | -1.4–1.2 | 0.478 |
| Placebo | 0.6 | -0.7–1.8 | ||
| MOBID-2* | Paracetamol | 0.0 | -0.5–0.5 | 0.605 |
| Placebo | -0.2 | -0.7–0.3 | ||
| NPI-NH†† | ||||
| Total score | Paracetamol | 1.5 | -2.3–5.4 | 0.187 |
| Placebo | -2.1 | -6.0–1.7 | ||
| Psychosis | Paracetamol | -0.3 | -1.4–0.8 | 0.935 |
| Placebo | -0.3 | -1.4–0.8 | ||
| Agitation | Paracetamol | 1.2 | -0.7–3.0 | 0.077 |
| Placebo | -1.2 | -3.0–0.7 | ||
| Affective symptoms | Paracetamol | -0.3 | -1.5–0.9 | 0.516 |
| Placebo | 0.2 | -0.9–1.4 | ||
Repeated linear mixed models, adjusted for order and period effects, and psychotropic use
CI confidence interval, QUALIDEM-6D dementia-specific QoL measurement instrument, 6 domain version, DS-DAT Discomfort Scale-Dementia of Alzheimer Type, MOBID-2 Mobilization-Observation-Behaviour-Intensity-Dementia-2 pain scale, NPI-NH Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Nursing Home version
*Higher score means more pain
†Higher score means better QoL
‡Higher score means more discomfort
††Higher score means more neuropsychiatric symptoms