J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 1996; 8:202-205
Copyright © 1996 by American Neuropsychiatric Association
Ethical concerns in the use of palliative drug treatment for Alzheimer's Disease
CM Filley, MM Chapman and SL Dubovsky
Department of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver 80262, USA.
The cases of 3 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) who had varied
outcomes from treatment with tacrine or other palliative drugs illustrate
the need to consider the benefits of such agents for each case on an
individual basis. In the absence of a cure, the most important factor in
the care of AD patients may be the physician's attitude that
irreversibility does not imply untreatability.
