5 THINGS WE LEARNED ABOUT ALZHEIMER’S IN 2024
Alzheimer's Association - Florida Gulf Coast Chapter
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Jan 09, 2025
Florida - Sarasota, Bradenton & Charlotte Counties
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2024 was a productive year for
Alzheimer’s disease and dementia research, including advancements in diagnosis,
treatment and risk management. Here are five significant discoveries from this
year:
U.S.
FDA approves third new drug that slows the course of Alzheimer’s disease
In July 2024, people living with early
Alzheimer’s and organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Association celebrated
FDA approval of Kisunla, the third approval since 2021 of a treatment that
slows progression and changes the underlying course of the disease.
Alzheimer’s Association president and
CEO, Dr. Joanne Pike said, “This is real progress. [This FDA] approval allows
people more options and greater opportunity to have more time. Having multiple
treatment options is the kind of advancement we’ve all been waiting for.”
In this new era of treatment, there is an
urgent need to better understand how new and future Alzheimer’s therapies work
in real-world settings. That way, we can better understand their long-term
health and safety outcomes in everyday settings. The Alzheimer’s Network for
Treatment and Diagnostics (ALZ-NET) is a first-of-its-kind Alzheimer’s network
dedicated to tracking real-world diagnostic and treatment outcomes. ALZ-NET
also provides ongoing education and resources for clinicians, patients and
families, helping them stay informed about the latest developments in
Alzheimer's research and care.
Blood
tests for Alzheimer’s could improve accuracy of diagnosis and speed access to
treatment
Highly accurate blood tests for
Alzheimer’s are moving closer to broader use in physician’s offices. Research
reported this year suggests they may highly improve the accuracy of diagnosis
and provide a quicker path to research participation and treatment.
Dementia is often underdiagnosed — and if
it is diagnosed by a clinician, many people are unaware or uninformed of their
diagnosis. Blood tests for Alzheimer’s are demonstrating in research that they
could significantly improve a clinician’s accuracy and confidence, provide
greater accessibility and a reason for more communication.
Blood tests that accurately and reliably
detect Alzheimer’s-related brain changes signal a shift to simpler, more
accurate and earlier detection and diagnosis, potentially superseding current
methods that are expensive, invasive and not always accessible.
In one study reported this year, a
specific blood test was around 90% accurate in identifying Alzheimer’s in
patients with cognitive symptoms seen in primary care and at specialized memory
care clinics. Other research suggests that blood tests, once they are
validated, could enhance recruitment for Alzheimer’s clinical trials and slash
wait times for Alzheimer’s disease assessment. This research was funded in part
by the Alzheimer’s Association.
Individuals
and caregivers want more support after a dementia diagnosis
Following a dementia diagnosis,
individuals and their care partners want and need help navigating the complex
health care system. A 2024 Alzheimer’s Association survey revealed that 97% of
dementia caregivers say they would find these services helpful. The survey
found that a majority of dementia caregivers (70%) report that coordination of
care is stressful.
In July, the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services launched an eight-year pilot program in dementia care
management. The Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) model works
with health systems and providers to deliver supportive services to people
living with dementia. The primary aims of GUIDE are to (1) improve quality of
life for people living with dementia, (2) reduce strain on their unpaid
caregivers and (3) enable people living with dementia to remain in their homes
and communities. The Alzheimer’s Association is participating in GUIDE. The new
Dementia Care Navigation Service, powered by Rippl and the Alzheimer’s
Association, is currently available in Illinois, Missouri, Texas and
Washington. The service will roll out in more states in 2025 and beyond.
Wildfire
smoke raises risk of dementia more than other air pollution
Research has found that exposure to air
pollution is associated with increased risk of dementia. But a new study
reported at AAIC 2024 suggests that breathing in wildfire smoke increases the
risk of being diagnosed with dementia more than other types of air pollution.
These results come from a decade-long study of more than 1.2 million people in
southern California.
The study says air pollution produced by
wildfires now accounts for more than 70% of total particulate exposure on poor
air quality days in California, and calls it “a real problem.” The findings
were most pronounced among individuals from minoritized groups and in high
poverty areas.
Air pollution produced by wildfires might
be more hazardous to health because: it is produced at higher temperatures,
contains a greater concentration of toxic chemicals and, on average, is smaller
in diameter than other sources. More research needs to be done to determine the
exact mechanisms.
Scientists
define Alzheimer’s by the physical changes in the brain
A group of scientists and clinicians
convened by the Alzheimer’s Association published updated criteria for
diagnosis and staging of Alzheimer’s based on the physical changes that happen
in the brain due to the disease — not solely the well-known outward symptoms,
such as memory loss.
Defining diseases by their biology has
long been standard in many areas of medicine — including cancer, heart disease
and diabetes. The new publication defines Alzheimer’s as a biological process
that begins with brain changes before people exhibit memory and thinking
problems. The authors state that progression and expansion of these changes
lead to the later appearance of symptoms, such as memory loss, disorientation,
trouble with planning or organizing, and mental confusion.
To learn more about Alzheimer’s disease
and dementia research advances, plus available care, information and support
resources — and to join the cause or make a donation — visit the Alzheimer’s
Association at www.alz.org.
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When Grief Doesn't Ease
Sometimes it feels as if your bereavement will never end. You feel as if youd give anything to have the pain go away; to have the long lonely hours between nightfall and dawn pass without heartache. You are not the only grieving person who has longed for some measure of relief.In the novel, My Sisters Keeper, author Jodi Picoult wrote, There should be a statute of limitations on grief. A rule book that says it is all right to wake up crying, but only for a month. That after 42 days you will no longer turn with your heart racing, certain you have heard her call out your name.No such rule book exists. Grief counselors and therapists tell us that the length of time it takes anyone to grieve the loss of someone they held dear to them is dependent on the situation, how attached you were to the deceased, how they died, your age and gender. So many variables exist and theres absolutely no way to predict how long it will take for you to adapt to your loss.The Difference Between Normal and Complicated GriefResearch findings have led experts to come up with many differing categories of grief experience ranging from normal to complicated. Normal (or uncomplicated) grief has no timeline and encompasses a range of feelings and behaviors common after loss such as bodily distress, guilt, hostility, preoccupation with the image of the deceased, and the inability to function as one had before the loss. All are normal and present us with profound, and seemingly endless, challenges. Yet, Katherine Walsh says, Over the course of time, with average social supportmost individuals will gradually experience a diminishment of these feelings, behaviors, and sensations. So, how can you know if your bereavement is no longer within the range of normal? Ms. Walsh goes on to say, While there is no definitive time period by which this happens, if an individual or members of a family continue to experience distress intensely or for a prolonged periodor even unexpectedly years after a lossthey may benefit from treatment for complicated grief.A Useful Model for Assessment: Wordens Four Tasks of MourningThere are certain tasks that, when achieved during your bereavement, can successfully allow you to emerge on the other side of loss as a better, stronger, and more resilient individual. James Worden proposed these four tasks: To accept the reality of the loss To process the pain of grief To adjust to a world without the deceased To find an enduring connection with the deceased in the midst of embarking on a new life Instead of focusing on your bodily discomforts, feelings, and common behaviors, this model allows you to better see where you may be stuck or stalled in the adaptive process. Fortunately, Worden also gives us a list of indicators advising that "any one of these clues in and of itself may not be sufficient" for a diagnosis of complicated grief. "However," he continues, "any of theseshould be taken seriously, and the diagnosis of complicated grief should be considered when they appear."12 Clues... 12 InsightsWhile grief educators and theorists tell us that a diagnosis of complicated grief should not even be attempted until after the first anniversary of the death, if any one of the following symptomatic clues exists for longer than six months, you may want to consider grief counseling or grief therapy: You cannot speak of the deceased without experiencing intense and fresh grief long after the loss. A relatively minor event triggers an intense grief reaction. Your conversations with others are littered with references to loss. In other words, loss is an ever-present motif in your world view. You have issues related to your loved one's possessions. Keeping everything the same as before their death could indicate trouble just as tossing out everything right away can also be a clue to disordered mourning. (You also need to factor in your cultural and religious background) You have developed physical symptoms similar to those of the deceased before their death. Sometimes these symptoms recur annually, on the anniversary of the death, or on holidays. An increased susceptibility to illness or the development of a chronic physical complaint can also be an indicator. If you have made radical changes to your lifestyle, or excluded friends, family members, or even activities associated with the deceased, it may indicate unresolved grief. A long history of depression, often marked by guilt or low self-esteem, can reveal disordered mourning. The opposite is also true: a person experiencing a false sense of happiness or elation could be experiencing unresolved grief. A compulsion to imitate the deceased, in personality or behavior, can be a sign of complicated mourning. Having self-destructive impulses or exhibiting self-destructive behaviors can be significant. These can range from substance abuse, engaging in self-harm, developing eating disorders and suicidal tendencies. A sense of unexplained sadness occurring at a certain time each year (holidays, anniversaries, or birthdays) can also be a clue to unresolved grief. Developing a strong fear about dying, especially when it relates to the illness that took the life of your loved one, is an important clue. If you have avoided visiting your loved one's grave or if you are still unwilling to discuss the circumstances of their death, this could indicate complications in your bereavement. There are many types of complicated grief; it can be delayed, masked, exaggerated, or chronic. Self-diagnosis is without purpose. A year after the death, if you feel your grief symptoms worsening, we advise that you seek a referral from your family physician for professional grief counseling or therapy.Sources: Walsh, Katherine, Grief and Loss: Theories and Skills for the Helping Professions, 2nd Edition, 2012 Worden, James, Grief Counseling & Grief Therapy: A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner, 4th Edition, 2009