Alzheimer etc: Most older adults have brain disease: study

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Most older adults have brain disease: study

2007-12-28 14:28:22 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Rauscher

http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2007/12/28/eline/links/20071228elin028.html

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Results of a brain autopsy study indicate

that most older adults have significant brain pathology (disease),

regardless of the presence or absence of outward signs of dementia.

As part of the long-term Rush Memory and Aging Project, researchers

evaluated the spectrum of abnormalities found in the brains of 141 older

adults, with and without clinically evident dementia.

At the time of death, only 20 persons (14.2 percent) were free of brain

disease, Dr. A. Schneider, from Rush University Medical Center,

Chicago, and colleagues found.

Most older persons with dementia (i.e., memory and other cognitive

impairments) had more than one type of pathology in their brain causing

the impairment, Schneider told Reuters Health.

" This most commonly was Alzheimer's disease pathology and cerebral

infarcts (strokes), followed by Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body

disease, a disease related to Parkinson's disease, " she said.

Older persons without dementia also frequently had brain disease, most

commonly Alzheimer's-like disease, but also multiple other

abnormalities, Schneider noted. Having more than one disease in the

brain significantly increased the likelihood that symptoms of dementia

will be present.

" Older persons can often handle one pathology in their brain, but the

burden of more than one pathology may tip them over the threshold of

clinical dementia, " Schneider said.

Therefore, prevention of not only Alzheimer's disease but these other

pathologies, particularly stroke and those things that may increase the

risk of stroke, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cigarette

smoking, obesity, " are likely to significantly decrease the prevalence

of dementia, " Schneider added.

The findings are published in the journal Neurology.

Based on this study, write two neurologists in an accompanying

editorial, " we may wish to maximize medical management of vascular risk

factors in the growing elderly population, regardless of whether

cognition is still normal or there are signs of overt dementia. "

[As far as I know, brain biopsies of politicians were not included in

the study]

SOURCE: Neurology, December 11, 2007.

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