Alzheimer's Progression Up to 100% Faster in Those With Hypertension or Irregular Heartbeat
- From: Dave <djensen36@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:25:18 -0000
A new Johns Hopkins study published in the Nov. 6, 2007, issue of
Neurology discusses new results that show Alzheimer's disease may
progress more rapidly in people with high blood pressure or a form of
irregular heartbeat, atrial fibrillation.
Interestingly, these findings suggest that treating these conditions
may also slow memory loss in people with Alzheimer's.
While current medications for Alzheimer's disease are effective for
some patients in slowing the rate of AD progression, many patients do
not benefit from the treatments or cannot tolerate them, says lead
researcher Michelle M. Mielke, Ph.D., of the Department of Psychiatry
and Behavioral Sciences at The Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine.
"The possibility that specific vascular conditions may affect how fast
a person with AD declines provides new opportunities for slowing the
rate of AD progression,"said Dr. Mielke, who recommends that current
treatments for atrial fibrillation and high blood pressure be used on
Alzheimer's patients with these conditions. These drugs are relatively
inexpensive and safe and these researchers believe they may reduce
memory decline in AD patients with these conditions.
The study examined 135 men and women over 65 who were newly diagnosed
with AD. All had undergone annual memory tests for an average of three
years. The study results showed that those with high blood pressure
(systolic pressure over 160) at the time of AD diagnosis suffered a
rate of memory loss roughly 100 PERCENT faster than those with normal
blood pressure.
In addition, 10 patients with atrial fibrillation at the time of the
diagnosis showed a rate of memory decline that was 75 PERCENT faster
than those with normal heartbeats. The study participants were part of
the Cache County Study on Memory Health and Aging, which has been
following a group of 5,092 people 65 or older living in Cache County,
Utah, since 1995.
"What makes this group and study unique is that we have been following
these participants in the community for over a decade, even before
they were first diagnosed with AD, so we know a good deal about their
medical history," says Mielke. "Studies that enroll AD patients only
from clinics may miss key factors, such as date of onset and history
of cardiovascular disease and treatment."
These doctors are currently working on similar studies using larger
sample sizes to better understand the potential role that vascular
factors play before AD diagnosis and their role over the course of the
disease's progression.
Dave
Full text article extracted from http://shamvswham.blogspot.com/
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