11.15.2012
Rising Dementia Rates and the Need for Cognitive Screening
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The need for early screening of Alzheimer's Disease and its precursor, Mild Cognitive Impairment, is reaching a critical stage as the world's population ages. Online tools, tests, and tracking products such as Cognitive Labs are a valued resource in the battle to improve cognition. MyBrainTest.org, a research advisory group, reports the following:
Rising Dementia Rates are a Global Health Trend: A positive aspect of rising living standards in most of the world has been a significant improvement in global average life expectancies, increasing from 70 to over 78 years in North America since 1960, while the life expectancy in East Asia & Pacific countries as a group has grown from 47 years to 73 years during this same period.
In tandem with improving life expectancies, the global population of people over age 65 has risen dramatically, from 150 Million in 1960 to over 500 Million in 2010. An important corollary to this trend is the accelerating rate of worldwide dementia cases, which carry significant health care, social, and public policy implications. Over 35 Million people are living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia worldwide today, and this number is projected to increase to 66 Million in 2030 and 115 Million by 2050.
Finding a cure for Alzheimer’s, or a method to significantly slow disease progression, continues to be a very challenging goal for stakeholders. A common theme emerging from both completed and ongoing clinical trials is the need for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease, either in the pre-clinical or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) phase. Companies with active clinical trials include Pfizer, Merck, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, and Roche-Genentech.
An increased research focus on validating methods of testing for Alzheimer’s disease has yielded a number of approaches for detecting disease markers before obvious cognitive impairment symptoms appear. These testing approaches can be broadly segmented into brain imaging tests, neurocognitive tests, cerebrospinal fluid tests, genetic tests, and the future possibility of blood serum tests. Companies providing these testing products include GE Healthcare, Philips, Siemens, Positron Corporation, NeuroTrax, CogState, and others.
To request a free copy of the report “Early Detection Testing for Alzheimer’s Disease”, please go to http://www.mybraintest.org
Labels: alzheimers, cognitive-labs, cogstate, dementia, ge-healthcare, genentech, mybraintest.org, neurotrax, philips, positron, roche, siemens
