The Telegraph reports on a study undertaken between 1991 and 2006 at the Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Results showed that the rate of cognitive decline amongst patients with Alzheimer’s tripled for those that had experienced delirium just before or at the onset of developing dementia. Although the two conditions are unrelated, delirium is common amongst elderly patients that are in hospital and can be caused by infection, injury or surgery. Unlike dementia, delirium is preventable and it is hoped that the newly-discovered link between the conditions could lead to new treatments to prevent and even cure Alzheimer’s. In the meantime, treatments that stop delirium could be used to help slow the progression of dementia. And treating patients at home rather than in hospital should be considered as this would reduce the stress and disorientation that triggers delirium. Rebecca Wood of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust comments on the study: ‘This research provides crucial insight into the serious impact of delirium on people with Alzheimer’s. The findings should inspire new care techniques that help protect patients from rapid deterioration by identifying delirium earlier and treating it swiftly.’
In related news, US scientists report that they have successfully used new drugs to reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease on mice. The experimental medicines, HDAC inhibitors, are already used to treat certain cancers and are also being tested for their ability to treat Huntingdon’s disease as well as Alzheimer’s. HDAC inhibitors work by improving the function of a gene that helps to form the brain’s memory. The tests on mice found that long-term memory was restored and that capacity to learn new tasks was increased. You can read the full story at the BBC News website.
posted by Cheselden Continuing Care at
09:31
