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Diabetes,
High Blood Pressure may cause people with
Alzheimer’s Disease to die sooner
Newswise — People with Alzheimer’s disease
who also have diabetes or high blood
pressure may die sooner than people without
such disorders, according to a study
published in the November 2008, issue of
Neurology®, the medical journal of the
American Academy of Neurology.
The study involved 323 people who had no
memory problems when first tested but later
developed dementia. Memory tests and
physical exams were then given every 18
months.
The study found that after an Alzheimer’s
diagnosis was made, people with diabetes
were twice as likely to die sooner than
those without diabetes who had Alzheimer’s
disease.
People with Alzheimer’s disease who had high
blood pressure were two-and-a-half times
more like to die sooner than those with
normal blood pressure.
“Studies show that the average lifespan of a
person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s can be
anywhere from three to nine years. For that
person and their caregiver, every minute
counts.
Here we have two controllable factors that
may drastically affect how long that person
can survive,” said study author Yaakov
Stern, PhD, professor at the Taub Institute
for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the
Aging Brain and director of the Cognitive
Neuroscience Division of Gertrude H.
Sergievsky Center at Columbia University
Medical Center in New York. Stern is also a
member of the American Academy of Neurology.
The study also looked at how race could
affect how long a person lives with
Alzheimer’s disease. It found Hispanic
people lived for eight years after
diagnosis, about four years longer than
non-Hispanic white people did.
African-Americans lived an average of five
years, longer than non-Hispanic whites but
not as long as Hispanic people.
However, after adjusting for gender and
other factors, the results were no longer
significant.
“Though these findings were not significant,
they are intriguing and warrant further
research as to whether race affects survival
time in people with Alzheimer’s disease,”
said Stern.
The study was supported by the National
Institute on Aging.
The American Academy of Neurology, an
association of more than 21,000 neurologists
and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated
to improving patient care through education
and research.
A neurologist is a doctor with specialized
training in diagnosing, treating and
managing disorders of the brain and nervous
system such as epilepsy, dystonia, migraine,
Huntington’s disease, and dementia. For more
information about the American Academy of
Neurology, visit
www.aan.com.
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