So far there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, but a leading Swedish dementia researcher has good hope for effective medication and a vaccine in a near future.
Lars Lannfelt, Professor at Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Geriatrics, Geriatrics; Molecular Geriatrics/Rudbeck laboratory at Uppsala University and his research team are developing a new type of medication for Alzheimer’s patients.
- I have great expectations. This is the first drug attacking the
basic cause of Alzheimer’s, the so called protofibrils, precursors to the fibrils. A clinical trial Phase III is presently running, including 1 500 patients in four centers, Uppsala, Stockholm, Malmö and Göteborg.
- Things take time. The drug now being clinically tested is based
on findings I made back in 1999, says Lars Lannfelt to COB Media.
The older we get, the greater the risk
The number of dementia patients in the world is estimated to reach 132 million in 2050, an increase of 300 percent from 47 million, according to a report from Alzheimer’s Disease International.
Source: Swedish Today’ s Medicine (DM) 2015-08-25.
Of the approximately 150 000 people who have a dementia illness in Sweden, the vast majority are older than 75. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, and accounts for 60 – 70 percent of all cases of dementia.
Source: Swedish Dementia Center home page. (Svenskt Demenscentrum).
No voice
The dementia patients have up to now had a low status, partly due to lack of effective treatment. Dementia patients are not organized. They have no voice in the health care debate, unlike for example diabetics and cancer patients. Also, the Corona pandemic has further demonstrated the vulnerability of the dementia patients.
“Should be punishable.”
“To medicate a person with a dementia disease is as difficult as medicating a premature baby. But imagine that the health care system would treat an infant as ignorant as it treats elderly.”
Dr Yngve Gustafson, Professor em of Geriatrics, Umeå University, is of the opinion that elderly people are discriminated in Sweden. He is well known by the Swedish public as a fighter for better dementia health care. He is upset and critical of the poor treatment the dementia patients generally get. “Prescribing wrong drugs and drugs in too high doses is common. Some prescriptions are made over the phone by doctors without even having examined the patient. That should be punishable.” Source: Swedish Dementia Association’ s (Demensförbundet) home page.
Better tools
There is a need for “dementia tailored” products. When effective treatments are introduced, dementia awareness will increase, the medical profession and public will start requesting better products and methods, better information and communication systems.
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