The life of Jose and Elaine Belardo was turned upside down last year when he was diagnosed with early Alzheimer's disease. (Photo: Alex Smith, KCUR)

Jose Belardo of Lansing, Kan He spent most of his career in the United States Public Health Service, where he worked on the frontlines of disasters in the United States. countries like Haiti, Colombia, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. They have always been infallibly reliable, so when they forgot their wedding anniversary two years in a row, they both began to worry

"We recognized that something was wrong and we "We have almost attributed to" Elaine said.

But the symptoms have grown.Last year, while Jose was 50, he was the subject of an evaluation at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, which included a battery of cognitive tests and a PET scanner [amygdaloïde] of his brain.The scanner detects beta-amyloid plaques – sticky clumps of protein fragments that tend to be unclear. accumulate especially in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease (although some older healthy adults also carry these plaques)

. onset of Alzheimer's disease came as a shock However, he and his wife had They believe that it is better to have a diagnosis than not. Jose said that he was determined not to let the shock of the diagnosis distract him from living a full life.

"I have responsibilities, man, I can not leave," Jose said. "I have kids, I have graduations coming in. I have all this stuff coming in. I'm not going to let the Alzheimer's disease take me away." Is safe. "

Retired Rear Admiral José Belardo traveled the world and worked with national leaders as part of the American Public Health Service. [Photo: Alex Smith, KCUR]

The prospect of having Alzheimer's disease can be so scary and the current treatment options so few that many people dismiss memory or other problems. other symptoms rather than studying them, say Alzheimer's experts, it is estimated that up to half of all cases are undiagnosed.

But that could soon change. Researchers progress in measuring beta-amyloid biomarkers and other biomarkers of Alzheimer's in the blood that could possibly help identify the disease reliably, inexpensively and noninvasively, years before cognitive symptoms develop.

-amyloids are not yet widely available, and most other biomarker tests are still experimental. But Dr. John Morris, a researcher on Alzheimer's disease and professor of neurology at the University of Washington in St. Louis, predicted that these physiological measures would herald a new chapter in the treatment of the disease. Alzheimer's

. people "before the stage of dementia, before memory and thought are affected, in order to delay the loss of memory and ability to think or even prevent it."

see a doctor at the first development of mild cognitive symptoms is because the symptoms may come from something else that is quite treatable.

"For example, sometimes a low level of thyroid hormones can produce a state of dementia," he said. , "And that can be easily treated with thyroid replacement therapy."

And even though the underlying problem is Alzheimer's disease, a recent study of the Alzheimer's Association suggests that the accurate diagnosis of the disease at an early stage of mild cognitive impairment – or even before the symptoms appear – the patient could save $ 64,000 per patient in terms of health and long-term care costs during his or her life.

be more involved in planning their own future and that of the family. This can help reduce the emotional burden of the disease on everyone.

After the diagnosis of José Belardo 's illness, the family rushed to put his affairs in order. They made contact with the Alzheimer's Association, which provided support groups and other helpers.

And soon, as Elaine explained, the shock began to disappear.

"What I would say is that after being diagnosed with something that is incurable and progressive and perhaps even aggressive: pause. And breathe. And think about where the person is right at that time. Because at that time, José was not dying. And right now, José is not dying. "

The researchers hope that more Alzheimer's patients will be diagnosed early, more people with the disease will, like Jose, make the most of their health.] Read or share this story : https://usat.ly/2LOpgG5