Alzheimer's disease was first described in 1906. In the century since then, scientists have made some strides in trying to understand how Alzheimer's affects the brain and are striving to make life better for affected individuals and families. But is it enough? As a sufferer of this insidious disease,I have a vested interest in discovering the truth in the current evolution of treatment for it and if that outcome will be positive for myself and fellow sufferers in what time we have left.
A worldwide quest is currently under way to find new treatments to stop, slow or even prevent Alzheimer's. Because new drugs take years to produce from concept to market—and because drugs that seem promising in early-stage studies may not work as hoped in large-scale trials—it is critical that Alzheimer's and related dementias research continue to accelerate. To ensure that the effort to find better treatments receives the focus it deserves. Researchers are looking for new ways to treat Alzheimer's. Current drugs help mask the symptoms of Alzheimer's, but do not treat the underlying disease. A breakthrough Alzheimer's drug would hopefully treat the underlying disease and stop or delay the cell damage that eventually leads to the worsening of symptoms. There are several promising drugs in development and testing, but we need more volunteers to complete clinical trials of those drugs and increased funding of research to ensure that fresh ideas continue to fill the pipeline.
What if we could diagnose Alzheimer's before symptoms started? The hope is, future treatments could then target the disease in its earliest stages, before irreversible brain damage or mental decline has occurred. Research on new strategies for earlier diagnosis is among the most active areas in Alzheimer's science.We're about to find out if there will be a way soon to slow the course of Alzheimer's disease. It is hoped that positive results are due soon from studies of drugs that aim to clear the sticky plaque gumming up patients' brains.
Can Alzheimer's be prevented? It's a question that continues to intrigue researchers and fuel new investigations. There are no clear cut answers yet — partially due to the need for more large-scale studies — but promising research is under way. The various fragmented Alzheimer's researchers continue to carry out studies exploring the influence of mental fitness, physical fitness, diet and the environment. As the number of people affected by Alzheimer's rises, the effort to find prevention strategies continues to gain some momentum in several different countries.However the reality is after more than a decade plus of failed efforts to develop a drug to halt the mind-robbing disease we appear to be static. Medicines such as Aricept only give temporary ease of the symptoms. There is no known cure. Experts say that if new treatments continue to fail, drug companies may pull out of the the hunt for a cure in frustration, leaving little hope for the millions of people with the disease.
An estimated 35 million people worldwide have dementia, which includes Alzheimer's.Why oh why? can we not have a more systematic and co-ordinated International approach to finding a cure? Instead of the many different individual companies, groups,charities,organisations all trying to achieve the same goal,but in an inefficient fragmented fashion for different reasons? If such a project could be funded and administered under a single International umbrella with truly global membership,I firmly believe that we would see a cure much sooner. Or is such a proposal too mind blowingly simple?
