Larry King to host CNN special program: 'Unthinkable: the Alzheimer's Epidemic'

 On Sunday May 1, 2011, CNN will air the first Larry King special, “Unthinkable: the Alzheimer’s Epidemic,” premiering at 8pm ET/PT.

Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death across all ages in the United States, but many Americans still do not know much about this illness. The one-hour special will look into Alzheimer’s disease, who gets it and why, the race to find effective treatments and a possible cure.

Larry King is scheduled to appear In The Arena on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.

King will be joined by people who have been touched by Alzheimer’s disease and will include interviews with former First Lady Laura Bush and California’s former First Lady and Alzheimer’s activist Maria Shriver; actors Seth Rogen, and  Angie Dickinson; TV host Leeza Gibbons; football star Terrell Owens and  son of President Ronald Reagan, Ron Reagan. Neurosurgeon and CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta will explain what Alzheimer’s is and how this disease affects the human brain.

ONLY ON THE BLOG: Answering today’s six OFF-SET questions is Harry Johns, President and CEO of The Alzheimer's Association, the leading, global voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care and support, and the largest private, nonprofit funder of Alzheimer research. Before joining the Alzheimer’s Association, Johns spent more than 22 years with the American Cancer Society.

An estimated 5.4 million people are living with Alzheimer’s. Are those numbers growing each year?  If so, why?

According to the Alzheimer’s Association® 2011 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report, that number could grow to as many as 16 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease by 2050.  Age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s and advances in modern medicine have resulted in Americans living longer than ever before. 

 However, Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging and we don’t currently have any way to cure, prevent or even slow the progression of this disease. Alzheimer’s is the 6^th leading cause of death in the United States, and investments made in Alzheimer’s research must be adjusted to correspond with the magnitude of this underfunded public health threat.

On the Association’s website, there’s a chart that lists the 10 signs of Alzheimer’s and the first two are memory loss that disrupts daily life and challenges in planning and solving problems. For those of us of a certain age, it seems possible to look at the list and think: well, some of those things are happening to me. How do you know at what point you should see a doctor?  

Alzheimer’s disease is not normal aging, but age is the greatest risk factor for developing the disease.  The signs noted on alz.org are changes that impact daily life.  If you notice this type of change in your behavior or the behavior of a loved one, you should consult your doctor.  Early detection is critical to receiving the best care possible.

At this time, there is no treatment to cure, delay or stop the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Are any medications making a difference, and why take them? 

While we are actively working toward treatments that stop or delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, there are a few symptom-modifying treatments available to temporarily improve quality of life for some people.  People living with Alzheimer’s should discuss treatment options with their doctor.

Should people take vitamin E if they are worried about Alzheimer’s?

Unfortunately, there are no definitive methods of preventing Alzheimer’s disease at this time.  However, there is strong research linking brain health and cardiovascular health.  The Alzheimer’s Association encourages people to be physically active and eat a brain-healthy diet to maintain good brain and cardiovascular health.

Regarding Vitamin E specifically, research has shown that taking Vitamin E can be potentially harmful, especially to those who have heart conditions.  Given these findings, unless there is a specific reason to take Vitamin E as determined with your physician, this is not recommended as a prevention or treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.  It is important to always discuss any nutritional supplements with your physician, as they can interact other prescriptions.

Where do scientists think the best hope for a cure will come from?

 Many leading experts believe that a disease-modifying treatment will likely be a cocktail of therapies similar to what is done for heart disease or AIDS. 

In an effort to expedite the evolution of Alzheimer’s drugs and identify Alzheimer’s at the earliest possible time, last week the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) released the first new Alzheimer’s Diagnostic criteria and guidelines in 27 years.  It is our hope that incorporating scientific knowledge and technological advances made in the last 30 years will improve current diagnosis, bring the field closer to earlier detection and treatment, and ultimately lead to effective disease-modifying therapies.  

In addition, the new criteria offer a framework for researchers to accelerate knowledge in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease and guidelines for getting a more accurate assessment of Alzheimer’s prevalence. This translates into an ability to better assess research dollars, care services, nursing home availability, the number of gerontologists and skilled nurses needed to address the avalanche of challenges individuals, families and communities face as the number of people with Alzheimer’s continues to grow.   

The lack of sufficient funding and volunteers for clinical trials are the biggest barriers to finding prevention, treatments and even a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.  Because of those challenges the Alzheimer’s Association is committed to accelerating the global effort to eliminate Alzheimer's disease and is the largest nonprofit funder of Alzheimer research.

In addition, the Alzheimer’s Association has launched TrialMatch™, a free service that connects those interested in volunteering with appropriate clinical trials.  To learn more about Alzheimer’s Association TrialMatch, visit www.alz.org or 800-272-3900.   

According to your organization, there are nearly 15 million Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers providing 17 billion hours of unpaid care valued at $202 billion. Caregivers not only suffer emotionally but also physically and Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers had $7.9 billion in additional health care costs in 2010.

Given the fact that lawmakers on the federal and state levels are in deep and intense discussions about changing health care and cutting costs, what are the implications for patients and caregivers?  

Given the growing prevalence of Alzheimer’s, access to affordable health care will continue to be an issue for people living with disease and those who care for them. 

The implications for patients and caregivers depend on how policymakers approach this moment. If policymakers recognize that the fundamental reason Alzheimer’s is so costly to government programs is because we have not yet invested enough in treatments to slow or stop this disease, not just patients and caregivers but the country as a whole could greatly benefit.

Today, we invest only $100 in Alzheimer’s research for every $28,000 our country spends to care for those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Based on the data from the 2011 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures Report released by the Alzheimer’s Association, if we had a research advance that simply delayed the onset of Alzheimer’s by approximately five years, we would cut costs dramatically, potentially saving trillions of dollars over the coming years.

On the other hand, if we make the mistake of simply trying to cut costs in the short term by trimming programs, not only will we be making life even harder for some of the most vulnerable people in our country today, but we’ll have missed one of the most powerful investment opportunities to address the long term financial challenges facing our country.

I encourage those interested in helping us to convey this important message to their elected representatives to do so by being Alzheimer’s advocates. People can sign up to do so at www.alz.org.