The Burden of Alzheimer’s Disease

Elderly individuals comprise a large portion of the population and their risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease significantly increases as they age. The Alzheimer’s Association reports that someone develops Alzheimer’s every minute. More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Two-thirds of patients are women. Studies also show that women are twice more likely to die of Alzheimer’s disease than from breast cancer. In 2013, unpaid care valued to exceed $220 billion was provided by more than 15 million caregivers in more than 17 billion hours of service.

Aside from treatment of the disease, scientists are also looking into the possibility of finding preventive therapy for Alzheimer’s disease. One trial, called “A4, ″ is going to evaluate the effects of an anti-amyloid treatment in healthy individuals who have an increased risk of developing the disease, based on PET scan findings that show amyloid protein elevations. The drug, called Solanezumab (manufactured by Eli Lilly & Co.), is the first of its kind to be used for the prevention of the disease.