Alzheimer's- The Hidden Killer

Today, I had the distinct pleasure of attending the Alzheimer's Association's 25th Annual Luncheon at Oak Hill Country Club. The luncheon is a wonderful dress-up affair, which combines the annual Quality of Life Awards, a brief Board of Directors Meeting, and a Keynote Speech. This year's speaker was Mr. Harry Johns, President and CEO of the National Alzheimer's Association. A Kellogg graduate and former director within the American Cancer Society, Mr. Johns discussed some grave truths about the disease.

For example, few people know that 1 in 10 people over the age of 65 have the disease. Over the age of 85, that figure jumps to 1 in 2. That's right- half of all people over the age of 85 have Alzheimer's Disease or a related form of dementia. If current trends hold true, within the next half-century, the medicare expenditure on treatment of Alzheimer's will balloon to the expenditure of the entire program today. More and more people below the age of 65 are being diagnosed with the disease each year. In fact, all- 100%- of diagnosies occurr post-symptom. No one knows they have Alzheimer's until after its effects, like short-term memory loss, occur.

Though Alzheimer's doesn't recieve the kind of attention that AIDS, Cancer, or Heart Disease do, we simply cannot afford to ignore it. There is, however, hope. Serious advancements are being made in pre-symptom detection measures, including the PET scan. For example, it is known that the plaque which forms in the brain, believed to be the cause of Alzheimer's and related dementia, forms long before the individual is diagnosed with the disease. Thus, this early detection opportunity will give individuals affected several extra years to start drug regimens to slow the progression of the disease. In fact, there are 9 drugs currently in Phase III clinical trials which target Alzheimer's disease. The two of these closest to entering the FDA review process are Alzamed and Florizan. Within 3 or 4 years, those afflicted with the disease will see help. This isn't a bad horizon, given that the typical drug, from concept to pharmacy shelves, has a development time of 12 to 17 years!

As the Association assists medical researchers in finding a cure, it also provides vital caregiving and education programs to communities across the country. In Rochester, Mary E. McCarthy (at right in picture), the winner of the 8th annual Quality of Life Award, does this through programs at St. Ann's Community. She was presented the award by Teresa Galbier, President and CEO of the Rochester Chapter (At left in Picture).

Alzheimer's Association National:
http://www.alz.org/

Rochester Chapter:
http://www.alz-rochesterny.org/