Is there a difference in life expectancy for patients who take medicine for the condition and those who don’t?
Dr. Larry Lawhorne discusses life expectancy for Alzheimer’s patients who take medication and those who don’t. Click play to watch the video or read the transcript.
Probably not, but it’s hard to say. People live a long time with Alzheimer’s disease. It could be from the medicine or it could be that we’re diagnosing it earlier. It depends on how fast the disease progresses. The medication doesn’t slow down the disease process, but it does seem to extend the length of time a person can live at home, before needing nursing home care.
Life expectancy probably depends more on the burden of amyloid in the brain and other medical or neuropsychiatric conditions the person might have. It can also depend on the amount of available social support.
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