As we tend to grow older our body starts to change and just like the rest of our body, our brain also changes. Research indicates that as we grow older our cognitive ability worsens with occasional problems associated with memory, however, serious memory loss can be seen in individuals who suffer from dementia. Dementia is a general term for memory loss and can be associated with a decrease in cognitive ability. It is important to note that dementia is different from the problems we face as we age, dementia has an underlying issue within the brain itself. Furthermore, one of the most common forms of dementia is Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's disease has a very young onset where it is able to affect people under the age of sixty-five. Furthermore, there are three stages of the disease early, middle, and late. Alzheimer's is sadly a progressive disease, which means that as an individual ages over time the symptoms of dementia also worsen which will lead to them progressively going through the three stages. The early-stage can be described as mild memory loss but when one reaches the late stage the patient will lose the ability to carry out conversations. The average life expectancy of a person suffering from Alzheimer's can range from four to eight years after the initial diagnosis. Sadly, there is currently no cure for Alzheimer's, many doctors prescribe patients with Aduhelm which removes amyloid, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease.
A 2021 study by Lisa L. Barnes looks at racial disparities between the African American population to other races in regards to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Today, it can be seen that one in eight individuals are diagnosed with Alzheimer's or a dementia-related illness. Furthermore, by the year 2050, almost 13.5 million individuals in the United States will have AD thus it is a priority to conduct preventative measures to decrease this number. Sadly, this study shows that older African American individuals bear a disproportionate burden of dementia-related illnesses when compared to other races/ethnic groups (Barnes 2021). Some studies show that an African American individual is twice as likely to be diagnosed with AD than other racial/ethnic groups in the U.S. The reason for this racial disparity is unknown thus in this study Barnes introduced three key obstacles to understanding this issue, these include uncertainty about diagnostic criteria, disparate cross-sectional and longitudinal findings; and a dearth of neuropathological data (Barnes 2021). The results of this study indicate that the disproportionate burden of African Americans suffering from AD is due to the complex interaction of environmental exposures and biological factors that have accumulated through one’s lifetime. However, Barnes concluded that more data is needed to support her hypothesis regarding the notion that African American individuals are more likely to be diagnosed with AD than white individuals. Even though the numbers do not lie there are inconsistencies in existing data and an important lack of data that would support this claim (Barnes 2021).
A recent 2020 research article by Konstantina G Yiannopoulou and Sokratis G Papageorgiou takes a look at preventative measures to alleviate the symptoms of Alzheimer's. Research indicates that the neuropathology associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is surrounded by the primary histopathologic lesions at extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular Tau neurofibrillary tangles (Yiannopoulou 2020). The primary focus of this study is to look at various symptomatic treatments that function in counterbalancing the neurotransmitter disturbance that is involved with specific brain structures. The study indicates that to slow down the rate of progression of the disease therapeutic agents must interfere with the pathogenic steps such as the deposition of extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. Some of the therapies that were reviewed include neuroprotection, anti-inflammatory, growth factor promotive, metabolic agents, stem cell treatment, and novel biomarkers (Yiannopoulou 2020). The results of this study indicate that there is a high proportion of lack of success with using therapeutic agents in AD clinical trials, however, there is a higher range in the success of using biomarkers that are proven to alleviate AD symptoms (Yiannopoulou 2020). Lastly, the study indicates that with the combination of all these techniques an effective medication can be created these techniques include risk factor elimination, comorbid disease treatment, lifestyle modifications, AD biomarkers, and a combination of DMTs that play a role in the neuropsychology of the patient.
Through both studies, it can be seen that there is an intense racial disparity between African American individuals and white people, however, through new findings and treatment options that have been recently discovered. It is more likely than not that these medicative treatments will be applied to all people including African Americans thus proving how we are one step closer in helping everyone suffering from this disease.
References:
Barnes L. L. (2022). Alzheimer disease in African American individuals: increased incidence or not enough data?. Nature reviews. Neurology, 18(1), 56–62. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-021-00589-3
Yiannopoulou, K. G., & Papageorgiou, S. G. (2020). Current and Future Treatments in Alzheimer Disease: An Update. Journal of central nervous system disease, 12, 1179573520907397. https://doi.org/10.1177/1179573520907397
What Is Alzheimer's?” Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia, https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers.
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