Possible cure for Alzheimer's?

[robkelk]

New Scientist: We may finally know what causes Alzheimer’s – and how to stop it

tl;dr: Possibly caused by the same bacteria that causes gum disease, maybe. And the report mentions a possible cure for gum disease - that is showing some signs of also treating Alzheimer’s - is currently being tested.

[Epsilon]

Science reporting, especially medical, is often extremely... optimistic. I will believe it when I see it.

Though given my family history, I hope it's available in less than thirty years.

[Black Aeronaut]

Holy shit.

This is something my mother has been deathly worried about ever since she assisted in her own mother's hospice care up until her last day. She'll be ecstatic to know about this.

[Labster]

In the U.S., dental insurance is more of an employment perk than an a legal requirement anywhere.  So if it gets put in the category of preventative medicine... very interesting.

I'm still waiting for the replication study, though.  Also, remember that not all diseases have a single source, so it might only work in some people, or only partially.  As always, pray for the win.

[Black Aeronaut]

Well, from what I read in the article, the correlation is a powerful one.  The caveat they did have in there was actually the reverse - that while just about everyone who had Gingivitis had some signs of plaques forming on their neurons, not all of them actually had Alzheimer's.  But it's more of a 'covering our ass' kind of statement, leaving them a bit of wiggle room because it can take decades before the accumulations have any real effect.

So basically, they're saying, "Alzheimer's Disease certainly seems to be caused by Gum Disease, but Gum Disease by itself doesn't always cause Alzheimer's.  In fact, you may pass away of natural causes before it becomes an issue for you."

[hazard]

An interesting comparison would be checking Alzheimer disease rates between countries with high dental care rates, and countries with low dental care rates.

[robkelk]

But it's more of a 'covering our ass' kind of statement, leaving them a bit of wiggle room because it can take decades before the accumulations have any real effect.

Wiggle room is good - it helps reduce expectations. That's why I used all those qualifiers in my original post.

(But I'm keeping my fingers crossed, too.)

[Black Aeronaut]

Yes, even so... From what the studies and supporting data show...

This could very well be it.

Even if it doesn't cure ALL forms of Alzheimer's.... Getting most of them is VERY desirable.

[robkelk]

Yeah. No cure is likely able to get them all, but if something can get a fraction of the cases, then that's a fraction of the population who won't suffer.