Alzheimer’s Treatment - Diabetes Drug may help treat
Alzheimer’s disease
July 17th, 2006
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Research from the
University of Virginia Health System and Case Western Reserve University
found that a drug called piogliatozone HCI, which is used to treat type
2 Diabetes may also help people suffering with Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease damages the brain’s ability to think and remember
well and affects approximately 4.5 million people in the United States.
"We believe that
the drug may reduce the body's inflammatory reaction to one of the toxic
components that builds up in Alzheimer's, called amyloid plaque,” said
Dr. David Geldmacher, an associate professor of neurology at UVa. The
study was first reported at the world's largest Alzheimer's conference,
ICAD 2006, in Madrid, Spain on July 16th, 2006. There is a
growing idea of a relationship between diabetes and Alzheimer’s that
have made ICAD organizers highlight this study.
"We don't know
exactly how pioglitazone works in Alzheimer's, but there are two
possibilities," Geldmacher said. "It could be that the drug reduces the
body's response to the amyloid protein found in Alzheimer's. Or, it
could be that this drug helps brain cells function. The real advantage
is that it's a completely novel approach to treating the disease."
The next step for
Geldmacher along with his fellow researchers is to conduct a larger
scale study of 200 – 300 Alzheimer’s patients taking pioglitazone in a
nationwide project.
"If it works, this
treatment might allow people to better hold on to memory and brain
function over a period of time, despite having Alzheimer's," Geldmacher
said. "It could also complement other treatments and become part of a
multi-pronged approach to Alzheimer's treatment."
Nicole Wilson
Best Syndication
Books on Alzheimer's
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