Quetiapine for the treatment of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) : a meta-analysis of randomised placebo-controlled trials
Cheung, G.; Stapelberg, J.
New Zealand Medical Journal 124(1336): 39-50
2011
ISSN/ISBN: 1175-8716 PMID: 21946743 Document Number: 648195
This meta-analysis is aimed to determine the efficacy of quetiapine for the treatment of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Our electronic search included MEDLINE (1950-2009), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and PsychINFO. We also did a hand search of the International Psychogeriatric Association poster presentations and checked the National trial registry data bases from USA, UK, RSA, Holland, Australia and New Zealand. We included double-blinded randomised placebo-controlled trials studies that measured BPSD with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). The Clinical Global Impression of Change scale (CGI-C) was our secondary outcome. Six sets of data were included in this meta-analysis. Patients receiving quetiapine improved when compared to placebo with a weighted mean difference of - 3.05 (95% CI: -6.10, -0.01) and -0.31 (95% CI: -0.54, -0.08) respectively on the NPI score and CGI-C score. This meta-analysis found that quetiapine is statistically more efficacious than placebo in the treatment of BPSD as measured by the NPI and CGI-C. However, improvement is of a small magnitude and observable clinical significance is questionable.