Scientists have discovered that three degenerative eye diseases may be connected to Alzheimer’s disease.
People that have these specific diseases won’t necessarily develop Alzheimer’s according to lead Researcher Cecilia Lee. Ophthalmologists should be more attentive to elderly patients which have these diseases and inform their primary care doctors that the patients may be more prone to suffer from dementia or memory loss.
Over 3,800 patients were involved in the study, aged around 65 and older. Over a period of 5, 792 were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Patients afflicted with age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy present a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s, above 40 to 50% when compared to other patients.
Alzheimer’s disease is considered to be the most common form of dementia, a lax name for memory loss and other cognitive problems, deemed serious enough to hinder daily life. While some people believe this is something that naturally comes with old age this is not the case, although age is a major player as a risk factor for potential patients. While at first the symptoms are mild, as the patient grows older, they become worse. In most cases it is not spotted in the early stages as most people think it is normal to forget unimportant things as an old man or woman. After more severe symptoms, such as the loss of important memories, not being able to recognize family and friends and others occur people start to seek treatment but by then it may be already too late.
While certain drugs that slow down Alzheimer’s are in development, diagnosing the disease in early stages is crucial in order to properly start treatment and anticipate the forthcoming issues. The research recently [published will allow doctors to identify the disease time and offer patients a chance at a better life in their old age.
As our second lead editor, Anna C. Mackinno provides guidance on the stories Great Lakes Ledger reporters cover. She has been instrumental in making sure the content on the site is clear and accurate for our readers. If you see a particularly clever title, you can likely thank Anna. Anna received a BA and and MA from Fordham University.