"It can be very difficult to differentiate between Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, so a treatment that can potentially benefit patients with either type of disorder would have great value," said Dr. Timo Erkinjuntti, lead author and faculty member of the Memory Research Unit at Helsinki University Central Hospital.

In a six-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 592 patients who were diagnosed with vascular dementia or Alzheimer's disease received Reminyl or a placebo.

Results of the study, published in The Lancet, showed that almost 75 percent of patients who received Reminyl remained stable or showed improvement after six months, compared with 59 percent of those receiving the placebo.

Furthermore, researchers found that patients' abilities to think and remember remained stable or improved, and the ability to carry out daily living activities was significantly higher in patients receiving Reminyl.

"Research such as this offers persuasive evidence that dementia patients can be helped, even when cerebrovascular disease -- usually one or more strokes -- is present," Erkinjuntti said.

Other Sources: The Lancet