To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: DG Dispatch - AAN: No Escaping Dementia As We Get Older URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/F93E6.htm Doctor's Guide April 23, 1999
By Cameron Johnston Special to DG News
TORONTO, ON -- April 23, 1999 -- No matter how healthy people remain into their old age, it appears that sooner or later, they will develop dementia - perhaps not clinical Alzheimer's disease, but dementia nonetheless, according to a study presented by University of Oregon researchers at the AAN meeting.
The study looked at 160 patients who ranged in age from 67-107, who were given a complete neurological examination once per year over a five-year period. The patients were also evaluated every six months to determine their level of dementia using such tests as the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR).
Although all of the subjects were mentally healthy at the start of the study, many became demented over the five-year period.
Dr. Haydeh Payami, a research fellow in neurology in Oregon concluded that the lifetime risk of suffering some mild impairment by the age of 105 is 100 percent, and there is a 45 percent chance that the diagnosis will be clinically-defined as Alzheimer's.
Of the 14 subjects who died during the study and were given an autopsy, all but one had varying degrees of Alzheimer's pathology in their brains.
The study also revealed a connection between genetics and gender, showing women who have one allele of the apolipoprotein e-4 to be 11 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than men with this apolipoprotein.
In a remarkable turn, Dr. Payami said although hormone replacement therapies seem to offer women a protective benefit against dementia, in this study at least, the women who had taken hormone replacements actually showed a faster decline and loss of cognitive function than those who had not taken hormones. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.