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medpundit |
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Tuesday, July 20, 2004Mild cognitive impairment, according to the National Institute on Aging, is more severe than aging-related memory problems such as forgetting to pick up something at a store. But it is not as severe as Alzheimer's disease, which is characterized by forgetfulness and dementia -- disorientation and confusion. Yet four in 10 people with mild cognitive impairment go on to develop Alzheimer's within three years. The study found that donepezil slowed progression to Alzheimer's in the first 18 months of a three-year study; thereafter, there was no difference between the drug and sugar pills. On average, researchers said, the medicine slowed the disease by about six months. Some questions. Most people with mild cognitive impairment don't go on to develop Alzheimer's at all (6 out of 10), so how do you decide whether or not you need to take the drug? Presumably you have to take the drug from one to one and half years to gain the six month delay in developing Alzheimer's. Aricept costs $130 a month. That's $1560 for a year's worth or $2340 for a year and a half. Would that be worth a six month reprieve from out-right dementia? Maybe for some. But some of us might prefer to use that money (assuming it would be our money and not the government's or an insurance company's) for a nice vacation while we still have all our marbles. Especially if it isn't going to make any difference in the long run. posted by Sydney on 7/20/2004 08:53:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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