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Show eW Drugs And Hop ( For Alzheimer’s Patients As we've learned more about this mind-deterioratingillness, new treatments have a RONALD REAGANDid he have the HE 74-YEAR-OLD WOMAN disease whilein office? stood in the middle ofthe with more education than previous gen- rushing crowd at Chicago's O'Hare Airport last year, trying to find the ate for and areas of high activity in yellow. A scan of the same cerebral layer in an Alzheimer’s patient showsa marked reduction in brain activity. Changesin the brain can occur as much as 40 years before symptoms appear. A simple cognitive test should be part of any checkup, says one expert. erations —actually will have less severe symptoms of the diseasein old age. “We shouldn't consider Alzheimer’s a disease of the oldbut ofthe young,” says Khachaturian. Oneofthe biggest her after her flight had shifts in our understanding of the disease is thefact that the changesin the gone, she wasstill lost. The diagnosis was Alzheimer’s disease, and the doctor told her family that there was no treatment. But he was wrong. Ef- brain take place 20 to 40 years be- fore the patient shows symptoms. fective drugs are available today, and dozens more are under development, Inthelast 20 years. we have gone from s inThese chai clude accumulation of an abnor- wherethis was not a di sable or treat. able disease to where tremendous progress = A mal protein called BURGESS MEREDITH amy loid that ee Achaiere is being madein early diagnosis andtreatment,” says Zaven Khachaturian, who directs the Alzheimer’s Association Ronaid & plus nerve fibers Theresult is that nerve cells cannot communicate with eachother effectively. and the patient experiences difficulty remembering andthinking. About 10% Nancy Reagan Re- of Americans have the disease by age searchInstitute, head- quarteredin Chicago. forms plaques, that clump together, causing what researchers call neurofibrillary tangles. RITA HAYWORTH Doctors thought she had alcoholic dementia. id boxing cont his mental deterioration? Whatis Alzheimer’s? Alzheimer’s disease is a gradual deteriorationof the brain associated with dementia, forgetfulness, 65 and nearly 50% have it by age 85 Healthy peo} n retain their le, however, faculties well into their 90s and beyond. ily history ofthe disease increases the risk of Alzheimer’s, “relative affluencein childhood results in bigger brains. and New treatments makea difference He believes that the Baby Boomers— ment for a timein some pati ents. So far, twodrugs have been approved to treat Alzheimer’s: Cognex (tacrine) confusion and personality changes. Victimslive for anaverageofeight years higher education causes more neural andAricept(donepezil). Both work by connectionsthat can coverup the syrnp- increasing the availability of a brain after diagnosis. About 4 million Americans have thedisease. Withthe aging of tomslonger,” says Dr. James Mortimer. chemical called acetylcholine, which is involved in memory. They do not cure the population, however, it is projected director of the Institute on Agingat the University of South Florida in Tampa the disease, but they do produce improvethat 14 million will be affected by the middle of the 21st century. While fam- BOY c sé€6A R 0 lt K A 4 Patients N PAGE 16» NOVEMBER8, 1996 PARADE MAGAZINE |