New Alzheimers Association Report Reveals Sharp Increases in Alzheimers Prevalence, Deaths and Cost of Care
Summary
"Similar scientific breakthroughs are needed for Alzheimers disease, and will only be achieved by making it a national health care priority and increasing funding for research that can one day lead to early detection, better treatments and ultimately a cure."The Facts and Figures special report explains how the identification of biological markers, or biomarkers, for Alzheimers will be critical to improving disease diagnosis and researching treatments that may prevent or delay the onset of clinical symptoms, such as memory loss, confusion, and difficulties carrying out routine day-to-day tasks.The report also highlights new economic modeling data showing early diagnosis during the MCI stage of the disease would result in cost savings as much as $7.9 trillion over the lifetime of all Americans living today.Medical benefits – early diagnosis allows individuals to adopt lifestyle changes which may help preserve their existing cognitive function for as long as possible; interventions such as controlling blood pressure, smoking cessation and exercise.Emotional and social benefits – early diagnosis provides individuals with an opportunity to maximize time spent engaging in meaningful activities and interacting with the most important people in their lives.