USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

Upcoming Alzheimer’s Talks: The more we understand this devastating disease, the closer we get to ending it. The Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network Trials Unit (DIAN-TU) study is conducting the first clinical trials in patients with an Alzheimer’s-causing genetic mutation. This exciting trial aims to stop Alzheimer’s before it starts – and to pave the way for intervention before symptoms appear for those with late-onset Alzheimer’s as well. Dr. Randall Bateman is a Professor of Neurology at Washington University in St. Louis, Director of the DIAN-TU study and one of our nation’s most preeminent Alzheimer’s researchers. He’ll be joining us for our September Alzheimer’s Talks to discuss this promising trial and how you can get involved. Please sign up to join our Alzheimer’s Talks with Dr. Randall Bateman on September 17th from 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern. 

A September 10, 2015 Emory News article reported that new research initiated by WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s finds women bear six times the cost of Alzheimer's disease (AD) care, per capita, that men do. According to WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s President Jill Lesser, “This is the first study of its kind to document the disparate economic impact of Alzheimer's on Women as patients and caregivers and the concomitant burden on our public health systems. It illustrates the urgent need to reform reimbursement policies for Medicare, Medicaid and long-term care and alleviate the public and private impact of this tragic disease that burdens families for decades." 

MUST READS 

A September 10, 2015 Health Affairs opinion piece by Loyce Pace and Paurvi Bhatt underscored the need for the global health movement to include the voices of individual’s affected by noncommunicable diseases like Alzheimer’s. According to the authors, “Cancer. Diabetes. Heart Disease. Alzheimer’s. Many people read about these chronic health conditions and imagine people in wealthy countries like the US and UK trying to manage them. The truth is that these diseases have gone global, disproportionately affecting underserved populations no matter where they live. As this month’s issue of Health Affairs highlights, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors account for a majority of our global health burden, affecting rich and poor countries alike…The time is ripe for a groundswell of voices calling for change. This month, the UN is set to adopt a new set of global development goals, acknowledging the global NCD crisis among a number of priorities…The movement begins with each of us offering patients, survivors, and others affected by NCDs a seat at the table in deciding how the world responds to their needs. They should be heard and we should listen.” Loyce and Paurvi represent organizations that are founding funders of the NCD Alliance.

A September 10, 2015 CNN article highlighted why Alzheimer’s is not contagious. According to the article, “In fact, the study contradicts much of what's in those "bombshell" headlines. In the study, the authors conclude that there is "no suggestion that Alzheimer's disease is a contagious disease and no supportive evidence from epidemiological studies that Alzheimer's disease is transmissible, notably by blood transfusions." The scientists called for more research on a phenomenon they discovered among a tiny number of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients who had once been treated with the same human growth hormone.”