Alzheimer's disease begins in the young adult and this implies a great potential for prevention

Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia that affects about 500,000 Argentines, does not start at the end of life, as it was thought, but the first symptoms appear 20 or 30 years earlier, this which involves a "tremendous prevention potential." said US physician Jeffrey Cummings, who attended the recent International Symposium on Cognitive Neurology and Neuropsychiatry of Fleni in Buenos Aires.

"We thought it was a dementia that had started at the end of life and that symptoms began 20 or 30 years earlier, in the young adult.This represents a huge potential of prevention and changing the paradigm of what we thought up to now, "he told Telam Cummings, director emeritus of the Cleveland Clinic's" Lou Ruvo "brain health research center, in the USA.

Asked about the new treatments available, the researcher said there was no recent approval of new drugs, but many studies were being finalized. "There will soon be important new treatments to slow the progression of the disease."

"It is increasingly evident that Alzheimer's disease results from the accumulation of an abnormal protein in the brain. Today, we understand that people who can not eliminate this protein is developing Alzheimer's disease, which is a breakthrough, "he said.

Cummings said the new drugs they are working on are trying to eliminate these proteins, which is "a hope to slow the progression of the disease and even try to cure it."

On the possibility of preventing the pathology, the specialist said that neuroscience believed "more and more" that there are "strategies that help keep the brain healthy and reduce memory loss."

"Exercise, good nutrition, an integrated social life and control of hypertension are very important factors in keeping the brain healthy and reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease," he said. he declared.

And he concluded: "There are half a million Argentineans with Alzheimer's disease and about one million with cognitive impairment, so it is very important that people come to consult to start treatment as soon as possible".

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Alzheimer's disease is the most prevalent form of dementia and affects approximately 50 million people worldwide.

It is also one of the leading causes of disability and dependence among the elderly in the world.