The Alzheimer’s Association reports that nearly 4 in 5 older Americans would want to know if they had Alzheimer’s disease before having symptoms, or before those symptoms interfered with their activities. They also want treatment, even if it comes with risks, as long as it slows the progression of the disease. A new report released by the Alzheimer’s Association, “American Perspectives on Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease in the Era of Treatment”, reports on a nationwide survey of more than 1,700 Americans aged 45 and older examined awareness and attitudes about Alzheimer’s disease, early detection and diagnosis, tests used to help diagnose Alzheimer’s, and treatments that can slow progression of the disease.
As the number of people living with Alzheimer’s is ever increasing, the openness to testing and treatment is encouraging. This goes hand in hand with the availability of new tests for protein biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease in blood and cerebral spinal fluid that can detect and track the disease. And although current treatments with anti-amyloid monoclonals have only shown modest success, there is promise that new treatments together with early detection can slow progression and possibly cure the disease.