What’s the News: Alzheimer’s is getting an update: for the first time in 27 years, the national criteria for diagnosing the disease have been revised. The new criteria are intended only for use by researchers studying the disease, but they are important because they acknowledge growing evidence for an early stage of Alzheimer’s that could be detectable with biological tests before cognitive impairment sets in.
What’s the Context:
Alzheimer’s disease, which involves the gradual loss of memory, language, and other mental skills, affects more than five million people in the U.S., mostly elderly. In autopsies—the only sure way of diagnosing the disease—the brains of Alzheimer’s patients are dotted with clumps, or plaques, of a protein called beta amyloid, and may show other signs of neurological damage. Doctors rely on cognitive tests and general assessment to make diagnoses while patients are alive. There is no cure; several drugs are used to ...
