Complementary and integrative medicines for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia: Overview of systematic reviews
Author: Chan-Young Kwon1, Boram Lee2
Affiliation:
1 Department of Oriental Neuropsychiatry, Dong-eui University College of Korean Medicine, 52-57, Yangjeong-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: beanalogue@deu.ac.kr.
2 KM Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Conference/Journal: Explore (NY)
Date published: 2022 Aug 11
Other:
Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2022.08.005. , Word Count: 289
Background:
Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSDs) are major contributing factors to disease burden in dementia patients. Complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) has received attention in the management of dementia in patients with BPSDs. This overview aimed to comprehensively and critically review previous systematic reviews (SRs) of CIM modalities for BPSD management.
Methods:
Thirteen databases were searched in November 2021 to identify SRs on CIM for BPSDs. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews 2.
Results:
Among 38 SRs, aromatherapy was the most commonly studied intervention, followed by herbal medicine (HM), acupuncture/acupressure, mindfulness-based interventions, relaxation, and Taichi. Half of the studies on aromatherapy reported significantly improved BPSDs, especially agitation, while the remainder reported mixed results/insufficient evidence. Most studies (85.71%) on HM supported its significant benefits in BPSDs. Yokukansan, an individual HM, was most frequently studied for BPSDs, with a significant beneficial effect on delusions, hallucinations, and agitation/aggression. Moreover, some meta-analyses supported the benefits of HM as an adjunct to psychotropic drugs in BPSD management. Other CIM interventions had insufficient clinical evidence. The methodological quality of the included studies was poor, and most were rated low or critically low (92.11%).
Conclusion:
Aromatherapy, the most frequently investigated CIM for BPSD, had mixed results or insufficient evidence. HM, as an adjunct to psychotropic drugs including antipsychotics, exhibited additional benefits regarding the efficacy and safety for BPSDs. This overview emphasizes the requirement for greater quantity and quality of research in this field.
Registration number:
Open Science Framework registry (g5f3m) (https://osf.io/g5f3m), PROSPERO (CRD42020211009) (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020211009).
Keywords: Agitation; Complementary Therapies; Dementia; Integrative medicine; Systematic review.
PMID: 35973932 DOI: 10.1016/j.explore.2022.08.005
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