Reasons For Hope - What Is Alzheimers Disease: Alzheimers

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Reasons for hope

Nevertheless, there are reasons for hope. Promising results of broad-based brain research have made Alzheimer's researchers optimistic about the prospects for improved treatment and prevention. Intense efforts since the 1980s have advanced scientists' understanding of the chemical changes that take place inside the brain. Key discoveries have cleared the way for pharmaceutical companies to start developing compounds that might block the disease's destructive course and cure the patient. There is also hope that scientists will someday create a vaccine to prevent and even treat Alzheimer's disease (see "Alzheimer's disease vaccine").

These prospects are exciting, but they're still a long way from providing relief for the estimated 24 million people worldwide who currently have Alzheimer's disease. The good news is that science has given health care providers a better understanding of ways to improve the day-to-day lives of people with Alzheimer's. And this growing awareness has produced an increasing number of support groups and community services around the country to alleviate families' isolation and help ease the burden of caring for those with Alzheimer's disease at home.

Last updated:	January 23, 2007