[Therapy of Dementia: State of the Art].

Due to the aging population, dementias represent a growing challenge for the health systems and for the society. This overview summarizes the current state of already practice-relevant therapies and management of dementias. Non-pharmacological approaches have a greater impact than pharmacological treatment. Increasing evidence underlines that consistent management of cardiovascular risk factors has beneficial effects on the progression of at least some, possibly almost all types of dementias. The main pharmacological agents for symptomatic treatment of cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease-associated dementias are cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine. In most other dementias, no specific pharmacological treatment is currently available. There is an urgent need for further research on the effective management of dementias.