Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the renowned dementia’s cause worldwide and is an upsurging global health concern that is problematic at the individual level and the society. Soria Lopez, Gonzalez & Leger (2019) argue that Alzheimer’s is characterized by a decline in cognitive functions which is associated with neuropathy and age of the individual. Being the prominent form of neurodegenerative dementia, AD is linked to the disease burden amongst the minority populations in the United States. Since the disease is a considerable burden, several reviews have been undertaken to understand the disease’s epidemiology, genetics, and pathogenesis to inform new therapeutic strategies to support the transition from treatment to prevention. Thus, it is essential to monitor the symptoms of dementia, especially in the older population since they are the most high-risk population.
The initial stages of Alzheimer’s are often characterized by the inability to conceal and store new memories. In these typical fundamental signs, the individuals’ daily lives are often disrupted since difficulty recalling recent events becomes familiar, and they often misplace their items. Subsequently, behavioral and cognitive changes occur as the disease progresses to the later stages. AD patients experience synaptic loss and synaptic reduction, and even neurodegeneration due to changes in amyloid plaques. Patients are also subjected to metabolic, vascular, and inflammatory changes alongside the common comorbid pathologies such as anxiety and depression. Generally, through the seven known stages of Alzheimer’s, the signs and symptoms progress from normal outward behavior to a very severe decline.
Alzheimer’s disease is an incurable condition since it is a progressive and irreversible cause corresponding to dementia worldwide. Although its pathophysiology is not fully understood, the condition is surrounded by neurotoxic events triggered by cytoskeletal abnormalities and beta-amyloid cascade. The determination that beta-amyloid peptide is chiefly responsible for the condition has given rise to treatment goals to inhibit amyloid-beta production. Among the interventions to address the amyloid, plagues are anti-amyloid immunotherapy and activation of enzymes that degrade amyloid plaques. Active immunotherapy enhances amyloid clearance which significantly reduces the amyloid load in AD.Similarly, proteases such as neprilysin, plasmin, and endothelin degrade aggregates and amyloid plaques (Pinheiro & Faustino, 2019).In this concern, the results are that protein levels of the enzymes that contribute to the formation of amyloid-beta in AD decrease. When these therapeutic strategies are observed, the patients’ cases of neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration slow down.
AD is a neurodegenerative disease implying the difficulty to find a cure due to diagnosis difficulty and the drug struggle to get into the brain. According to Yiannopoulou, Anastasiou, Zachariou & Pelidou (2019), there are at least 200 failed Alzheimer’s trials which is a reflection that researchers are decades away from finding a cure for this dreaded disease. The common causes surrounding the cure finding difficulty include the lack of knowledge on the cause of the disease, and the lead times for new therapies are often longer than predicted. It is believed that Alzheimer’s caused by abnormal proteins amyloid and Tau build-up; thus, if this were true, there would have been positive clinical trials on removing these proteins. Secondly, the extended period taken by the FDA to approve the drug is quite inconvenient since it alters the drug development cycle. Despite not finding the cure in due time, medical practitioners are doing better in designing and suggesting remedies and therapies to treat the symptoms. The reasons surrounding the cause of the disease and drug development prove that finding a cure would continue to be a tedious process.
The struggle to find a cure is ongoing, this means that thorough research is still done, and there is a need for financial support to investigate and learn more about the disease. Currently,AD symptoms are alleviated using drug and non-drug treatments which are meant to significantly reduce the disease progression.In this concern, the caregivers are presented with the available options to help the individuals improve their quality of life. I would highly support that the funding for research to find a cure, investigate and learn about the disease should continue despite the numerous fails since if that is not done, AD will be pronounced an epidemic in a few years. Besides, funding would enable the researchers to work faster than in the past years while advancing the existing knowledge to explore ways to reduce AD risks, uncover biomarkers for treatment, and develop favorable treatments. Research funding on Alzheimer’s will be an added advantage if placed at the same rate as HIV/AIDS and cancer.
As per the many studies conducted, the changes in the brain occur before Alzheimer’s symptoms start to show. While there are no defined measures and therapies to prevent or delay the conditions, researchers have deployed therapeutic strategies to prevent or delay the disease in some people. The interventions are encouraging but inconclusive but are efficient in stimulating the mind while averting the risks of neurological disease. According to Petsko (n.d), the cases of neurological disorders will be an epidemic in the next 50 years. Precisely, epidemiological evidence outlines that lifestyle interventions and mechanisms help in delaying and preventing AD.Ko& Chye (2020), the most applicable and possibly the best lifestyle interventions are education and social engagement since they have significant effects. Alzheimer’s is incurable, but initiating and applying these interventions becomes a game-changer.
AD prominently causes dementia counted as one of the causes of death worldwide. The disease destroys an individual’s quality of life due to the known cognitive impairments and the inability to perform daily activities as usual. The inability to encode new memories and misplacing items describe the initial signs of AD. Research is still ongoing since no cure has been found, but therapeutic remedies are applied to the patient to slow the progression. People at risk of contracting the disease are advised to participate in mind-simulating activities and physical exercises. Notably, the individuals would experience a quality life provided they adhere to the suggested therapeutic remedies.
References
Ko, Y., & Chye, S. M. (2020). Lifestyle intervention to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Reviews in the Neurosciences, 31(8), 817-824. Doi: 10.1515/revneuro-2020-0072
Petsko, G. (n.d.). The coming neurological epidemic – Gregory Petsko. Retrieved from https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-coming-neurological-epidemic-gregory-petsko#watch
Pinheiro, L., & Faustino, C. (2019). Therapeutic strategies targeting amyloid-β in Alzheimer’s disease. Current Alzheimer Research, 16(5), 418-452. Doi: 10.2174/1567205016666190321163438
Soria Lopez, J. A., Gonzalez, H. M., & Leger, G. C. (2019). Chapter 13 – Alzheimer’s disease. Handbook of Clinical Neurology, 167(3), 231-255. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-804766-8.00013-3
Yiannopoulou, K. G., Anastasiou, A. I., Zachariou, V., & Pelidou, S. (2019). Reasons for failed trials of disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and their contribution in recent research. doi:10.20944/preprints201909.0270.v1
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