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older continue to increase. The number will escalate rapidly in coming years
as the baby boom generation ages. (2015 Alzheimers Disease Facts and
Figures) This is a growing problem, and according to tests and studies
conducted by the Alzheimers Association, about half of the estimated 5
million Americans with Alzheimers were probably not told they have it by a
physician.
The latest advance in Alzheimer's diagnosis came this year, when the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave its approval to a radioactive dye that
can be used to determine whether the protein of Alzheimer's disease is
accumulating in the brain, says Dr. Jeffrey Cummings, a neurologist and
researcher and director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain
Health. (reviewjournal.com) The radioactive dye binds to amyloid plaque that
accumulates in the brain of a person with Alzheimer's. Then, a PET scan is
conducted, and the presence, or absence, of the plaque is revealed.
(reviewjournal.com) With these new tests, clinical trials can begin using a
person who is not showing symptoms in their daily lives yet, but their brain
scans show that there are already abnormalities presenting; this would allow
access to very early stages of the disease, and new research and
information. And if no amyloid plaque is found, that can rule out Alzheimers,
which will allow further testing for a different dementia-related disease. This
is important because with other certain types of dementia, Alzheimers
medications actually worsen the conditions. "So it's the interaction between
what the scan tells us and the clinical examination. That's why the doctor is
food and nutrients from traveling through cells, causing them to eventually
die. (alz.org/braintour)
However, there is a downside to this argument. Researchers are
strongly recommending patients who do not show any symptoms to not get
screened, because if they have no symptoms they cannot be treated for
anything. "At this point, we don't have any medicine we know of to take in
advance to prevent the disease,""I would not recommend getting a test
just to know." (reviewjournal.com) Getting a test just for curiositys sake
could be extremely expensive. For some people, however, who know they
have a family history of the disease, knowing ahead of time could be very
beneficial in the long run. For example, knowing it might be a part of your
future would allow you to be prepared to seek treatments as soon as you do
recognize that you are showing symptoms, as well as have a plan in place for
at home care, or clinical care for when the time comes. On the negative side,
however, getting screened ahead of time and being labeled as someone who
might possibly develop the disease could be detrimental to a career or other
opportunities. For example, an employer might be less willing to hire
someone and provide them with insurance benefits if they know he or she is
more likely to develop a life threatening disease within the next ten years or
so. Other complications have also come about; such as the fact that the test
costs about $4,400, which would not be covered by medical insurance or
Medicare.
Works Cited
"2015 Alzheimers Disease Facts and Figures." Alz.org. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
<https://www.alz.org/facts/downloads/facts_figures_2015.pdf>.
"Alzheimer's & Dementia Testing Advances | Research Center | Alzheimer's
Association." Alzheimer's Association. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.alz.org/research/science/earlier_alzheimers_diagnosis.asp
>.
Brain Tangles - Alzheimer's Association." Alzheimer's Brain Tangles Alzheimer's Association. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
<https://www.alz.org/braintour/tangles.asp>.
Solomon, Paul, and Cynthia Murphy. "Should We Screen for Alzheimer's
Disease? A Review of the Evidence for and against Screening for
Alzheimer's Disease in Primary Care Practice." Wncln.org. Web. 18 Nov.
2015. <http://0eds.a.ebscohost.com.wncln.wncln.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?
sid=c88eb7d1-82c1-4074-89db2158eade8cd9@sessionmgr4005&vid=1&hid=4211>.
"TOUGH TESTS: Why Get Screened for Alzheimer's When There Is No Cure?"
Las Vegas Review-Journal. 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.reviewjournal.com/life/health/tough-tests-why-getscreened-alzheimers-when-there-no-cure>.