 % of AD patients receivng Rx
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Spouses are slightly more likely than adult children to be the primary caregivers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, according
to Consumer Health Sciences' Alzheimer's Disease Caregiver Project. They also influence the type of care AD patients receive.
In surveying 1,504 caregivers, the study found that caregiver spouses were more likely than adult children to see disease
information from pharma companies and other sources, such as the Alzheimer's Association, and to consult specialists rather
than primary care physicians for treatment.
As a result, 62 percent of patients with spouse caregivers took AD-specific treatments such as Aricept (donepezil), Exelon
(rivastigmine), and Reminyl (galantamine), while only 40 percent of patients with adult children caregivers were prescribed
those products. And patients with spouse caregivers were less likely to go untreated-only 18 percent failed to receive any
medication, compared with 32 percent of patients whose adult children were primary caregivers.