ISLAMABAD: Alzheimer’s disease the most common form of dementia affects almost 7 million people in the United States alone.
Following a diagnosis it is difficult to predict how the disease will progress in each person.
Now a research team in Amsterdam has designed a model that can predict cognitive decline in people with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease.
The scientists aim to use the model to develop an app that clinicians can use to help them personalize treatments and forecasts for patients.
A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is becoming increasingly common. The Alzheimer’s Association reports that one in three seniors in the United States will die with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.
Some memory decline is a normal part of aging but problems with memory and thinking that start to impact daily functioning are often a sign of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
In some people MCI can develop into dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease but it is hard to predict whether a person with MCI will go on to develop dementia.
Katherine Gray Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Society told Medical News Today that Among the almost a million people living with dementia in the [United Kingdom] we know that no two people have the same journey. Symptoms often progress at different rates and the availability and standard of dementia care across the UK can vary extensively.
Now a team from Amsterdam University Medical Center has developed a model that can predict cognitive decline in people with MCI or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. The study appears in the journal Neurology.
Wiesje van der Flier PhD full professor scientific director of Amsterdam UMC s Alzheimer Centre and senior author on the study told MNT that the model might one day be used to tailor Alzheimer’s care for individual patients.
I think in the future it can. When patients get a diagnosis their next question is what can I expect Or what is my prognosis This model provides a first attempt to an answer. It provides a prognosis for cognitive decline on an individual basis she told us.
This is encouraging research as it suggests that researchers can produce a model which is able to predict how the symptoms experienced by people with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer’s disease might change. Predicting how these symptoms may change cognition over time is vitally important for those living with dementia and their carers to prepare for the future ultimately leading to better care.
How researchers developed the model
The researchers recruited participants from the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort for their longitudinal study. In total 961 people were included of whom 310 had MCI and 651 had mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. Their mean age was 65 years and 49% of them were women.