Alzheimer's disease, a form of dementia, is one of the most feared diseases in the world, not only because of its effects but because of the emotional anguish it bestows on friends and family. Doctors continuously look for ways to develop treatments, and understand how it works. It continues to be an uphill battle as more people succumb to the disease. Here are some facts. Alzheimer's affects more women than men. More than two-thirds of those suffering from Alzheimer's in America are women, but apparently this is not due to gender, at least not directly. This figure is mainly due to the simple fact that women tend to live longer than men. Onset of symptoms happens as early as 30 years old. You don't have to be a senior citizen to show signs of early-onset Alzheimer's. In fact, about five percent of Americans have this type of dementia and can show symptoms of the disease even as young as 30 years old. Many people aren't aware that they have it. Sadly, millions of people all over the world who have Alzheimer's don't know they have it. In fact, in America alone, where there are about 5.4 million people with the disease, more than half aren't aware of their situation. With clinical trials and more research, people continue the fight against Alzheimer's disease. Hopefully a cure will be available soon; for now, all people can do is work toward understanding and supporting those who are suffering from it.
Living with a debilitating disease is one thing, but living with a disease that doesn't have a cure is an entirely different matter. Alzheimer's falls into the latter, and as yet, no prescription drug or medical treatment can cure it. The best patients and their families can do is to adapt to the circumstances. On the other hand, there are those who would rather go for new but untested procedures and hope for the best.
Clinical trials for Alzheimer's Disease are entirely voluntary in nature. A doctor may recommend that a patient take part in such a trial, although the patient ultimately has the final word on it. Even then, the patient may still be screened if he or she fits the trial's criteria for potential test subjects. Before any actual testing takes place, participants are informed of the potential risks and benefits of the medicine being tested.
Some consider that the advantages of participating in a clinical trial somewhat outweigh the risks involved, given that the patient's treatment expenses are largely paid for by the sponsor agency. In addition, the patient is allowed to opt out at anytime. Finally, any knowledge gained at the end of the trial is surely going to benefit the medical field and, hopefully, inspires more research in the future.
Clinical trials help ensure that the public gets safe and effective medicines and treatments. In a typical trial, a new drug or treatment method undergoes intensive investigation and a series of tests to determine its efficacy and possible side effects. Without the data gathered from clinical trials, there's no telling what fatal risks patients may encounter when taking a new or supposedly “improved” version of a drug.
At present, clinical trials for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) patients are far from achieving a satisfactory participation rate. Since the last decade, the percentage of AD patients volunteering for clinical trials has stayed at one percent or even lower. With a serious decline in number of volunteers, clinical trials may not be able to move on, and the accuracy of results can be seriously affected.
Scientists attribute this downward trend to patients' aversion to the risks involved, as well as lack of confidence in the possible benefits. If this continues, new medicines and treatments, no matter how effective they may be, may never get approved for distribution and use. Researchers thus need more accurate data from a bigger number of volunteers, beyond what pilot studies can provide.
Perhaps the best way to address this dilemma is to promote awareness about the importance of clinical trials in the discovery and development of new treatments for AD. Conversely, scientists must also identify other factors that cause the patients' reluctance. Otherwise, any future research may suffer from low turnouts and reduced sponsorship.
Before a drug is placed in the market or certain medical procedures are approved, clinical trials are frequently conducted to ensure their efficacy and safety. As a component of medical research, clinical trials are methodologically conducted by a team of professionals composed of doctors, nurses, research scientists, social workers, and other healthcare experts. Majority of trials are funded by government agencies, non-profit organizations, and pharmaceutical companies.
From discovering new treatments to identifying ways to prevent certain diseases or complications, there are many advantages associated with clinical trials. In fact, a number of participants who would've otherwise not received treatment, survive and get better with the help of clinical trials. However, as with most researches, there are still uncertainties and risks connected with every clinical trial. This is why patients and volunteers are thoroughly informed of the trial's objectives, risks, benefits, and its process before they are asked to sign a consent.
At present, several clinical trials are geared towards determining more effective cure for deadly and chronic conditions, such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Without medical research and clinical studies, there's no way to guarantee the effectiveness of a treatment. Furthermore, adverse reactions related to the drug being tested will not be discovered and resolved if not for medical trials. In the end, it's always about weighing the pros and cons.
Clinical trials are scientific research studies that involve patients as subjects to test treatments and newly developed medicines. The research goes through several stages to make sure that the results are unarguably accurate and reliable. The first stage is usually done for a small group of around 20 to 80, where the subject therapy will be administered for the first time.
The second phase involves about a hundred to 300 patients. The results of the Phase I tests will be checked against and compared to the Phase II results. The study will only reach the third stage if the pre-determined number of patients benefit from the treatment. In Phase III, the respondents are a much larger group of a thousand to three thousand. This phase involves evaluation of the treatment's effectiveness and monitoring of its side-effects.
For a certain drug to pass the stringent standards of the Food and Drugs Administration, it should make it through the third phase. However, this isn't the last step; Phase IV trials will have to be conducted while the drug is already in the market.
The purpose of the fourth phase is to continually evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment or drug and to discover any new benefits that may come up from them. This is why it's common to hear about scientists “discovering new uses for X medicine or Y drug.” In the end, clinical trials assure you that your medication, barring all other factors, can give you the cure you need.
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