Modern Care for Patients with Alzheimer Disease: Rationale for Early Intervention

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-2010

Abstract

More than 5 million people in the United States are afflicted with Alzheimer disease, a condition that is the seventh leading cause of death in the nation. Lacking definitive disease-modifying treatments, modern care for individuals with Alzheimer disease is necessarily multimodal, combining the use of approved pharmaceutic agents (ie, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists, antipsychotics), lifestyle and behavioral interventions, and components of palliative care. Some promising experimental treatments are undergoing clinical trials, including immunotherapy to prevent the deposition of β-amyloid, a protein implicated as an etiologic factor in the disease. The authors briefly examine the rationale and methods for screening patients for early indications of the onset of Alzheimer disease. They also describe current and potential treatments for patients with this disease.

Publication Title

Journal of the American Osteopathic Association

Volume

110

Issue

9 suppl 8

First Page

S37

Last Page

S42

PubMed ID

20926742

Comments

This article was published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, Volume 110, Issue 9, Supplement 8, September 1, 2010, Pages S37-S42.

The published version is available at http://www.jaoa.org/content/110/9_suppl_8/S37.full

Copyright © 2010 the American Osteopathic Association

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