Update on Alzheimer’s Disease - European Medical Journal

Update on Alzheimer’s Disease

Neurology
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Author:
*Kurt A. Jellinger
Disclosure:

The author has declared no conflicts of interest.

Received:
17.12.14
Accepted:
13.02.15
Citation:
EMJ Neurol. ;3[1]:82-90. DOI/10.33590/emjneurol/10311025. https://doi.org/10.33590/emjneurol/10311025.
Keywords:
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Biomarkers, dementia, neuropathology, Treatment

Each article is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 License.

Abstract

With the disproportionate growth of the elderly population, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), as the most common cause of dementia, has become a major public health and socio-economic problem of our time. Updated consensus criteria for clinical diagnosis and new biomarkers have increased the diagnostic accuracy to over 90%, with a sensitivity versus other dementias of around 85% and a specificity of up to 78%, although a definite diagnosis depends on neuropathological examination. However, due to overlap between dementing disorders and frequent concurrence of multiple pathologies in the aged brain, both clinical and post-mortem studies entail biases that affect their validity. Harmonised interdisciplinary approaches are required to increase the accuracy and reproducibility of AD diagnosis as a basis for neuroprotection and efficient treatment. Preventative measures can minimise risk factors and confounding diseases, whereas anti-dementive treatment with drugs and non-pharmacological interventions can currently only delay the progression of the clinical course without causal effects. Better early diagnosis, active immunotherapies, and disease-modifying measures are the most important challenges for modern neurosciences.

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