Contributed by: Dennis Fortier, President, Medical Care Corporation
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Why is the press so nihilistic about the fact that there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease and that current treatment options only manage the symptoms? We can say the same about diabetes, hypertension, and high-cholesterol. True, we are highly effective at managing these other chronic conditions and only moderately so for AD, but I am alarmed at how broadly the “nothing can be done” mantra has been embraced. Much can be done.
When will we get a cure for Alzheimer's Disease?
Contributed by: Dennis Fortier, President, Medical Care Corporation
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There is no definitive answer to this ubiquitous question. The best we can do is to watch the advance of science through the published literature and to follow the clinical trials from which the answer will one day emerge.
While the pathology of Alzheimer's disease is still not well understood, scientists have developed a host of well-grounded theories. Several treatment agents, based on those theoretical foundations, are currently in development or in clinical trial.
Here is an excellent summary of the leading treatment hypotheses as well as the development status of the most promising treatment agents. Some of the information is a bit technical but I think the lay person can read this and get a good sense of the time frame for a meaningful advance. It should be clear that no cure is imminent but equally clear that several treatment agents are in advanced stages of clinical trial.
Predicting the results of these trials is hampered by our vague understanding of what causes Alzheimer's Disease. On the bright side, one or another of these agents may be surprisingly effective in altering the disease course and could be available in less than five years. On the dark side, they may all turn out to be ineffective in which case we would be more than five years away from a meaningful new medication. Only time will tell.
In the meantime, we all need to be proactive in identifying and managing our risk factors for cognitive decline (the topic of an upcoming blog) and physicians must be vigilant about acting on evidence or suspicion of decline among their patients. Until better treatments are discovered, we must intervene as early as possible with the current medications to maximally delay the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
________________________________________________
There is no definitive answer to this ubiquitous question. The best we can do is to watch the advance of science through the published literature and to follow the clinical trials from which the answer will one day emerge.
While the pathology of Alzheimer's disease is still not well understood, scientists have developed a host of well-grounded theories. Several treatment agents, based on those theoretical foundations, are currently in development or in clinical trial.
Here is an excellent summary of the leading treatment hypotheses as well as the development status of the most promising treatment agents. Some of the information is a bit technical but I think the lay person can read this and get a good sense of the time frame for a meaningful advance. It should be clear that no cure is imminent but equally clear that several treatment agents are in advanced stages of clinical trial.
Predicting the results of these trials is hampered by our vague understanding of what causes Alzheimer's Disease. On the bright side, one or another of these agents may be surprisingly effective in altering the disease course and could be available in less than five years. On the dark side, they may all turn out to be ineffective in which case we would be more than five years away from a meaningful new medication. Only time will tell.
In the meantime, we all need to be proactive in identifying and managing our risk factors for cognitive decline (the topic of an upcoming blog) and physicians must be vigilant about acting on evidence or suspicion of decline among their patients. Until better treatments are discovered, we must intervene as early as possible with the current medications to maximally delay the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
Mild Cognitive Impairment 101
Contributed by: Dennis Fortier, President, Medical Care Corporation
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Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is now widely but inconsistently used to describe a broad range of cognitive states. While there may not yet be a universally accepted definition, there is adequate consensus that MCI describes the space on the cognitive continuum between "Normal" and "Demented". Recall from an earlier post (Dementia 101) that a person does not meet the clinical definition of dementia until their impairment is severe enough to interfere with their social or occupational function. From this definition, the need arose to describe the situation when a person is beginning to lose function but the deficits are still subtle and not yet severe enough to meet the criteria for "dementia". To address that need, researchers at the Mayo Clinic constructed the term Mild Cognitive Impairment which has been quickly, if not uniformly, adopted in the scientific community.
As with dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment is not a diagnosis and not something that must be treated. It is merely a symptom of some underlying medical condition such as depression, Parkinson's Disease, Vitamin B-12 deficiency, early stage Alzheimer's Disease, etc.
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A better understanding and more awareness of Alzheimer's related issues can impact personal health decisions and generate significant impact across a population of aging individuals. Please use the share buttons below to spread this educational message as widely as possible.
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Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is now widely but inconsistently used to describe a broad range of cognitive states. While there may not yet be a universally accepted definition, there is adequate consensus that MCI describes the space on the cognitive continuum between "Normal" and "Demented". Recall from an earlier post (Dementia 101) that a person does not meet the clinical definition of dementia until their impairment is severe enough to interfere with their social or occupational function. From this definition, the need arose to describe the situation when a person is beginning to lose function but the deficits are still subtle and not yet severe enough to meet the criteria for "dementia". To address that need, researchers at the Mayo Clinic constructed the term Mild Cognitive Impairment which has been quickly, if not uniformly, adopted in the scientific community.
As with dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment is not a diagnosis and not something that must be treated. It is merely a symptom of some underlying medical condition such as depression, Parkinson's Disease, Vitamin B-12 deficiency, early stage Alzheimer's Disease, etc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A better understanding and more awareness of Alzheimer's related issues can impact personal health decisions and generate significant impact across a population of aging individuals. Please use the share buttons below to spread this educational message as widely as possible.
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