Half of Alzheimer's cases potentially preventable
Molly Vanden's father, Marc, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease six years ago at age 54. She's trying to reduce the risk of her getting the disease, too, a disease that she and her mother Janet now are all too familiar with. Molly's eating healthier foods that have shown benefits to brain health, engaging in more physical activity and is trying to being more social. The family poses at Molly's home in Walnut Creek, Calif. Tuesday July 19, 2011. (Karl Mondon/Staff)A provocative new analysis identifies the biggest risk factors for Alzheimer's disease -- and concludes that more than half of all cases are potentially preventable through simple lifestyle changes, such as exercising, quitting smoking and losing weight.
It offers no magic bullet against the devastating disease, which kills brain cells and leaves people mute, incontinent and unable to care for themselves.
That's because no one has yet proven that changing these factors actually will reduce risk of the disease, which affects half of all people over age 85 -- an estimated 5.2 million Americans and 75,000 people in the Bay Area alone. The cause of Alzheimer's remains unclear; like heart disease, it may be caused by a combination of factors.
But the San Francisco VA Medical Center study shows scientists where to start working.
"It's another brick in the wall suggesting that Alzheimer's doesn't have to be a passive thing that we wait to come get us. There are life modifiers that may reduce our risk," said William H. Fisher of the Alzheimer's Association.
Costly disease
It is an issue that has taken on increased urgency with the aging of baby boomers. An estimated 5.3 million people in the United States are diagnosed with the disease, and the number is expected to triple by 2050. Because caregiving is so expensive, experts predict the cost to Medicare and Medicaid will jump from $170 billion in 2009 to $800 billion in 2050 -- more than the military budget.
The conclusions based on a statistical analysis of published data, were presented Tuesday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Paris and was published in the journal Lancet Neurology.
"It suggests these modifiable risk factors might make a huge difference in those projections," said VA researcher Deborah Barnes in a phone interview from France. "The next step is to do the clinical trials that ask, 'If we change a risk factor, will it reduce rates of dementia?
Aids Dementia Complex - News
Several neurological conditions may occur in patients with HIV/AIDS. For example, some patients with an advanced HIV infection may develop HIV-associated dementia, or AIDS dementia complex, in which they have cognitive dysfunction and behavioral
The findings were based on complex mathematical analysis, not a new study of patients. They assumed a causal relationship between each risk factor and dementia. "What we need to do now is figure out whether that assumption is correct," said Barnes.
In people with dementia it is a powerful factor influencing the decision to send people to a care home. Continence services are fragmented and patchy, and few NHS trusts devote resources to improve their services. Despite the efforts of committed
The findings were based on complex mathematical analysis, not a new study of patients. They assumed a causal relationship between each risk factor and dementia. "What we need to do now is figure out whether that assumption is correct," said Barnes.
Heather Vasilopoulos, MS, OT/L, is a licensed Occupational Therapist with more than ten years of experience specializing in dementia care. She is the CEO and founder of Vital Spark LLC, an occupational therapy and life coaching company,
HIV PREVENTION: AIDS DEMENTIA COMPLEX AND NEUROLOGIC COMPLICATIONS ...
AIDS DEMENTIA COMPLEX AND NEUROLOGIC COMPLICATIONS. AIDS dementia complex is a late complication of the disease. It is unclear whether it is caused by the direct effects of the virus on the brain or by intermediate causes. AIDS dementia complex is marked by loss of reasoning ability, loss of memory , inability to concentrate, apathy and loss of initiative, and unsteadiness or weakness in walking. Some patients also develop seizures. There are no specific treatments for AIDS dementia complex.
MUSCULOSKELETAL COMPLICATIONS. Patients in late-stage AIDS may develop inflammations of the muscles, particularly in the hip area, and may have arthritis- like pains in the joints.
ORAL SYMPTOMS. In addition to thrush and painful ulcers in the mouth, patients may develop a condition called hairy leukoplakia of the tongue. This condition is also regarded by the CDC as an indicator of AIDS. Hairy leukoplakia is a white area of diseased tissue on the tongue that may be flat or slightly raised. It is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus .
AIDS-RELATED CANCERS. Patients with late-stage AIDS may develop Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), a skin tumor that primarily affects homosexual men. KS is the most common AIDS-related malignancy. It is characterized by reddish-purple blotches or patches (brownish in persons with darker skin) on the skin or in the mouth. About 40% of patients with KS develop symptoms in the digestive tract or lungs. KS may be caused by a herpes virus-like sexually transmitted disease agent rather than HIV.
The second most common form of cancer in AIDS patients is a tumor of the lymphatic system ( lymphoma ). AIDS-related lymphomas often affect the central nervous system and develop very aggressively.
Invasive cancer of the cervix is an important diagnostic marker of AIDS in women.
The Cellular Basis of Central Nervous System HIV-1 Infection and the AIDS Dementia Complex: 
The Cellular Basis of Central Nervous System HIV-1 Infection and the AIDS Dementia Complex: 
AIDS dementia complex
From Wikipedi...Aids Dementia Complex - Bookshelf
The AIDS dementia complex, public health impact, neurotoxic mediators, and treatment options
The cellular basis of central nervous system HIV-1 infection and the AIDS dementia complex
The editor also introduces some general considerations for therapeutic intervention of AIDS dementia complex (ADC).The contributors to The Cellular Basis of ...Clinical approach to infection in the compromised host
Given the multiplicity of clinical manifestations of AIDS dementia complex, it is likely that the pathogenesis of the neurologic complications of HIV-1 ...Neuropathology of AIDS
Positron emission tomography (PET) scanning of patients with AIDS dementia complex using [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose to study regional cerebral utilization of ...Dementia, A Global Approach
HIV-associated dementia/AIDS dementia complex As per the UNAIDS report [3], there are about six million people living with AIDS in India as of early 2006. ...Everyday Report Directory
AIDS dementia complex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
AIDS dementia complex (ADC; also known as HIV dementia, HIV encephalopathy, HIV-associated dementia and HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder) ...
AIDS Dementia Complex
The AIDS Dementia Complex (ADC) is one of the most common and ... Price RW: The AIDS dementia complex and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection of ...
AIDS dementia complex: Definition from Answers.com
AIDS dementia complex n. The neurological disease complex that is sometimes experienced by AIDS patients, caused by neuron injury and death and
AIDS Dementia Complex: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatments
AIDS Dementia Complex -- also called ADC -- is a type of dementia that occurs in advanced stages of AIDS.
AIDS dementia complex
AIDS dementia complex. From Christine Kennard, former About.com Guide ... At one time 15 to 20% of all people with AIDS developed AIDS dementia complex. ...