USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A September 5, 2018 KSAT ABC 12 health article looked to new 2018 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures. AD and other forms of dementia cost the U.S. $277 billion in 2018 and by 2050, could increase by as much as $1.1 trillion. The Latino community will see the most growth in AD, up to 832 percent by 2060, according to a recent UsAgainstAlzheimer’s report. 

A September 1, 2018 The Kansas City Star Letter to the Editor, by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Advocate Daisy Duarte, spoke from her perspective as a full time caregiver to her mom with Alzheimer’s disease. According to Duarte, “I was delighted to learn that the U.S. Senate, thanks to Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt’s leadership, has approved a bill that would significantly boost federal support for Alzheimer’s research. The $425 million increase for the National Institutes of Health is a drop in the bucket considering the annual cost of Alzheimer’s is nearly $300 billion, but more funding for research is critical to families like mine waiting for a cure.”

MUST READS

A September 4, 2018 Senator Susan Collins press release touted the largest increase in history for Alzheimer’s disease research, $425 million, with major support from U.S. Senator Susan Collins of the Appropriations Committee, and Founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s disease. Total investment in AD is $2.34 billion for fiscal year 2019. According to Collins, “We have made tremendous progress in recent years to boost funding for biomedical research, and this legislation builds on that momentum by providing the largest-ever increase for Alzheimer’s, exceeding our $2 billion goal.  I am encouraged by the bipartisan commitment to spurring the development of a means of prevention and treatment for this terrible disease.”

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A September 4, 2018 Web MD article reported on seasonal variations in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Thinking (cognitive) ability changes with the seasons - better in the late summer and early fall than in the winter and spring - as well as levels of AD-related proteins and genes in cerebrospinal fluid. According to researcher Andrew Lim of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center and the University of Toronto, “By shedding light on the mechanisms underlying the seasonal improvement in cognition in the summer and early fall, these findings also open the door to new avenues of treatment for Alzheimer's disease.” Also covered by EurekAlert! 

LIFESTYLE

A September 4, 2018 Slate article focused on the link between air pollution and Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers at Arizona State University found that prolonged exposure to fine particle pollution increases the chances of developing dementia. This backs-up data from a recent Chinese study showing long-term exposure to pollution was linked to declining test scores—especially in older men. Also covered by Fortune.

PROFILES IN COURAGE

A September 4, 2018 Portage Daily Register article featured the story of Mitzi Gerstenkorn and her four siblings, who gather every year for the Columbia and Marquette County Alzheimer’s Walk at Riverside Park in Portage (Wisconsin), part of the 20th anniversary commemoration of annual walks throughout the state. The siblings are chairing the event this year in honor of their father, who died from AD. According to Gerstenkorn, “As I talk to people about it and things come up, the more that I smile and it reminds me that it’s OK. You would be so surprised how many people say, ‘Yeah, it affected me this way.’”