What do Rosa Parks, Ronald Reagan, and Robin Williams all have in common? You may be thinking that their names all start with “R”–and you’re not wrong–but a less apparent similarity is that they all suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Chances are someone you know or have heard of has been affected; the neurodegenerative disease affects over 6 million people worldwide and is the leading cause of dementia in adults. Notably characterized by progressive memory loss and cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s can also result in dramatic mood changes, delusions, and a lack of ability to perform daily activities. As the disease worsens, patients forget more significant information, such as who their friends and loved ones are.
Different therapies and drugs may help to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
Image Source: FredFroese
While Alzheimer’s has no current cure, there are a myriad of treatments that work to delay the onset of severe symptoms. Behavior and speech therapies–for example, engaging in physically and mentally stimulating activities–have been shown to decelerate brain deterioration and help with symptoms such as mood swings and irritations associated with memory loss. Specific drug therapies are also available, most of which treat later stages of the disease.
Lecanameb, brand name Leqembi, is a newly developed drug that battles the progression of early stages of Alzheimer’s. The drug works to kill amyloid plaques, proteins in the brain that aggregate in clumps around brain cells and cause cell death. With Lecanameb, the cognitive delays resulting from this cell death have been shown to slow in progression. Certain side effects, however, are still of concern; while the majority of trial patients have few to no negative outcomes, there have been some instances of brain bleeding or swelling.
While Lecanameb is by no means a cure for Alzheimer’s, the drug’s development is a major step towards battling the disease. The later Alzheimer’s is diagnosed and treated, the further along it has progressed, and the harder it is to fight. Lecanameb is revolutionary as it is one of the few drugs that combats Alzheimer’s at its earlier stages. The use of it, and hopefully more drugs being developed like it, can hopefully provide patients with extra years of memory and improved quality of life–this means more time connecting with friends and family, learning new hobbies, or doing anything one chooses to spend their time on!
Featured Image: fizkes
