Plaque busting drug shows early promise in preventing Alzheimer's

Conclusion Drug research into treatments for Alzheimer's disease has been going on for many decades and results so far have been disappointing. That's one reason why many people are cautious about news of a new Alzheimer's "breakthrough". Many people living with Alzheimer's disease, and their friends and loved ones, have had their hopes raised too many times. So it's important to be clear about what this study does and does not tell us: The study doesn't show whether the drug works to halt mental decline. The results don't show whether the drug can reverse symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. The best we can say from these results is that it may slow or halt the progress of mental decline in people with early Alzheimer's disease – but that the results are not strong enough to be sure. The study doesn't tell us for sure whether amyloid beta plaques cause Alzheimer's disease symptoms. The study does show that the drug may reduce the amount of amyloid beta plaques in the brains of people with early Alzheimer's disease. The main limitation of the study is its size, and the high numbers of people who dropped out. Small studies tend to have less reliable results and we don't know whether the results might have been different, had those who dropped out carried on with the study. The excitement among researchers is understandable – the study shows clear signs that the drug has an effect on beta amyloid plaques. But we'll have to wait for the results of full cl...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology Medication Source Type: news