Prevention rather than cure. The Institute for Memory and Alzheimer’s Disease (IM2A) at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris launched a call for volunteers on December 28 to test a preventive treatment against Alzheimer’s disease.
This neurodegenerative brain disorder affects 900,000 people in France. It causes a progressive disappearance of neurons. Today, the life expectancy of a person with Alzheimer’s disease is 8.5 years, the disease is the 4th cause of death in France.
A follow-up over several years for volunteers
The IM2A doctors regret that the treatments are taken too late today, at a time when the symptoms are too advanced to see any effects. They are working on a treatment to be taken upstream for patients at risk on the same model as in cardiology, when statins or other anti-cholesterol drugs are prescribed for people at cardiovascular risk.
The IM2A is looking for volunteers over the age of 60, complaining of memory problems. Some will take preventive medications and all will benefit from follow-up for several years with blood tests and MRIs.
“All the people who will be followed have (manifested) a concern, but (they) will not develop the disease, of course. Some will be at risk and can benefit from prevention which will delay or even prevent the onset of the disease”, explains Professor Bruno Dubois, neurologist in charge of IM2A, on France Inter.
To volunteer, contact 06 60 38 58 62 or 01 42 16 75 28.
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