Global Clinical Trials for Alzheimer's Disease

Global Clinical Trials for Alzheimer's Disease

Design, Implementation, and Standardization
2014, Pages 3-20
Global Clinical Trials for Alzheimer's Disease

Chapter 1 - The Epidemiology and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease and Projected Burden of Disease

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Today there are more than 36 million demented persons worldwide. With the aging of populations, the prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is expected to more than triple in the coming 40 years. Besides high age and genetic factors, evidence from observational studies shows that many modifiable vascular and lifestyle-related risk factors at midlife affect the risk of the disease. Control of vascular and metabolic risk factors, healthy diet, and maintenance of AN active lifestyle (physical, mental, and social components) may thus be the key issues on the road to prevent or delay the onset of AD. As the pathologic processes leading to AD may take decades to develop, it is crucial to identify optimal time windows for preventive efforts. Targeting several risk factors simultaneously and long duration of the intervention may be needed for the optimal preventive effect. As many persons are affected, relatively small effects of an integrative intervention on common risk factors may have a huge public health impact. Usage of biomarkers may help in identifying different risk phenotypes and in monitoring effects of the interventions. International collaboration is necessary to initiate future large-scale dementia prevention studies that are needed to formulate evidence-based preventive measures in cognitive decline and dementia.

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