Alzheimer's disease (AD) was first described in 1906. According to the article about Alzheimer's disease on LivingMaples, scientists have made notable progress in understanding how Alzheimer's affects the brain and learning how to make life better for affected people and their families. Alzheimer's is not curable, but some treatments can slow the progression of the disease. Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurologic condition that causes the brain to shrink and brain cells to die. Alzheimer's disease is a progressive form of Dementia. Various brain conditions and diseases can lead to Dementia, a term that refers to conditions that negatively impact memory, thinking, and behaviour. These changes complicate daily life.
How to prevent Alzheimer's?
During the early stages of Alzheimer's, you will likely have trouble recalling new information. Because it begins to affect the brain areas that enable learning, the disease negatively affects new information. Frequently repeating questions, forgetting essential conversations or appointments, or misplacing objects may happen. The moods and personalities of people living with Alzheimer's may also change. The best way to prevent cognitive decline is to adopt healthy lifestyle habits.
The prevention of Alzheimer's disease is not known. Although you can't prevent contracting the disease, you can reduce your risk with specific steps. The combination of staying physically, mentally, and socially fit can lower your risk for cognitive decline, including Alzheimer's. Maintaining a healthy diet, quitting smoking and consuming more antioxidants can be helpful. All of these are excellent ways to stay healthy in general. The role of games and applications in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease is also an effective one. Research suggests cognitive training can improve memory and think, particularly among middle-aged or older individuals.
Blood test for Alzheimer's
Most Alzheimer's diagnoses are currently made with clinical assessments of memory and cognition and interviews with the patient's family. Many doctors have trouble distinguishing between Alzheimer's and other dementias or physical conditions that cause cognitive impairment.
Researchers found that a newly developed blood test for Alzheimer's can diagnose the disease as accurately as methods far costlier and invasive, a significant step toward a long-term goal for patients and doctors alike. Tests like this are likely to simplify, accelerate, and expand access to diagnosis. In a few years, we may access such tests, accelerating research for treatments and solving the diagnostic problem for patients with Dementia seeking an Alzheimer's disease diagnosis. Tests were conducted to determine if people with Dementia may have Alzheimer's instead of another condition. A research study presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference found that the genetic mutation that causes Alzheimer's was associated with memory and thinking problems 20 years before being expected in people with the fatal disease.
Several teams' development of blood tests for Alzheimer's offers some hope in a field that has rejected numerous treatments and preventions for a disease that robs people of their memories and independence. The researchers and experts estimated a clinical test for Alzheimer's could be ready for use in two to three years, allowing doctors to determine whether a patient has Alzheimer's disease or another type of Dementia that needs different treatment. In the future, people with Alzheimer's may also predict their future diseases by performing blood tests like this.
Alzheimer's treatment
Approximately six million Americans and about 30 million people worldwide have Alzheimer's, and this number is expected to double by 2050. For Alzheimer's patients in various stages, there are five medications approved in the United States that can stave off cognitive decline for several months.
The Food and Drug Administration approved a new medication for Alzheimer's disease; it was a controversial decision despite opposition from the FDA's independent advisory committee and some Alzheimer's experts who claimed insufficient evidence to support its effectiveness. Due to insufficient evidence to demonstrate the drug's effectiveness, the FDA approved its use but ordered Biogen to conduct another clinical trial.
Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm is the first new treatment to target the disease process in 18 years. However, some experts say that there is not enough evidence to support its effectiveness. Aducanumab, a monthly intravenous infusion marketed as Aduhelm, is a neuroprotective drug that targets mild memory and thought problems. First FDA-approved treatment to target the cause of Alzheimer's, rather than just the symptoms of the disease.
Does Aduhelm Work?
In Alzheimer's patients, Aduhelm targets a protein called amyloid, which forms plaques in the brains of patients and can be used as a biomarker for the disease. Both critics and supporters of approval have emphasized the fact that the drug substantially reduces levels of amyloid. To be approved under the accelerated program, the drug had to affect a biomarker. Nonetheless, reducing amyloid does not mean reducing dementia symptoms. Many amyloid-reducing drugs have failed to eliminate symptoms in clinical trials over the past two decades, so it is especially critical that aducanumab's data be convincing.
Experts who favoured approval of a new Alzheimer's drug have said the drug should be prescribed to only a much smaller group of patients than the approval permits, according to Alzheimer's experts. Many scientists have become concerned that the evidence lacks a convincing demonstration that the controversial and expensive drug Aduhelm, made by Biogen, works since the Food and Drug Administration approved it. There has been less focus on another critical issue: which patients should receive the drug and how doctors should prescribe it safely and responsibly. In general, the FDA has imposed few restrictions on Aduhelm, an intravenous drug that requires regular MRI scans due to its potential for causing brain swelling or hemorrhaging.
source: livingmaples.com
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