The early detection of Alzheimer's disease only makes a difference if there is something that can be done about it. Knowing that one is on track for Alzheimer's disease shouldn't make much difference to one's lifestyle choices; if every other looming dysfunction of old age has failed to convince someone to better maintain his or her health, then what is one more item to add to that list? The cost-benefit equation for anti-amyloid immunotherapies that modestly slow the decline into dementia if used in the early stages of the condition may work out for some people, but these treatments have potentially severe side-effects and are expensive. All told, it shouldn't be surprising that in the present environment there is little incentive to make use of the options on the table to detect Alzheimer's disease in its earliest stages.
Despite the potential benefits of early detection and increasing treatment options for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, there is limited use of valuable screening and testing tools. Researchers studied responses from nearly 1,300 participants in the National Poll on Healthy Aging to understand experiences and views of cognitive screening and blood biomarker testing among adults aged 65-80. Consistent with previous research, their study found that only about 1 in 5 older Americans reported having cognitive screening in the past year.
Even with recognition of potential benefits and Medicare coverage of cognitive testing for beneficiaries, the underuse of cognitive screening persists, the researchers say. Millions of dementia cases go undiagnosed and untreated, fueled by multiple barriers to diagnosis at the patient, provider and health care system levels. "Treatments are now available to help slow the course of Alzheimer's disease, if started early enough, and there are promising clinical trials and risk reduction strategies available. So for many older adults, talking to your doctor about your cognitive health can be as important as talking to your doctor about your physical health."
View the full article at FightAging
