ADVISORY/Dementia May Be Deadly.Business Editors ADVISORY... --(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 12, 2001 TOPIC: A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine says that in older patients, Alzheimer's disease can potentially be as deadly as heart disease or cancer. According to a story by CNN, the study alleges that patients who are at least 84 years of age will only survive an average three years after their symptoms begin to show. One of the reasons is that affected patients reportedly are more susceptible to malnutrition, infection and accidents when suffering from the disease, which attacks the nerve cells of the brain and impairs a person's memory, coordination and emotional control. Experts in the story said that most people do not consider dementia to be a deadly condition despite the evidence. EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story: Prof. Berry Oken is a neurobiologist neurobiologist a specialist in neurobiology. at Oregon Health Sciences University. His expertise include neurology, clinical neurophysiology, aging, dementia, Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (ăls`hī'mərz, ôls–), degenerative disease of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex that leads to atrophy of the brain and senile dementia. and complementary and alternative medicine The term complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is an umbrella term for alternative medicine and complementary medicine. Alternative medicine describes practices used in place of conventional medical treatments. . 503/494-8873 Dr. Sandra Welgreen was the lead physician in developing and implementing a continuing care continuing care a professional convention that a veterinarian who is treating an animal is obliged to continue treating that case unless an arrangement is made with its custodian to transfer the care to another practitioner or to a specialist. program for the elderly for Kaiser Permanente. She is an expert in home health care, long-term care long-term care (LTC), n the provision of medical, social, and personal care services on a recurring or continuing basis to persons with chronic physical or mental disorders. , and hospice. PR: Laura Marshall, Media Manager laura.h.marshall@kp.org Professor Bruce Gold, of Oregon Health Sciences University, is an expert in the area of nerve injury and regeneration in both the peripheral and central nervous systems. He has discovered a new class of compounds, which are being developed for regenerating damaged nerves in such disorders as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome carpal tunnel syndrome: see repetitive stress injury. carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) Painful condition caused by repetitive stress to the wrist over time. , toxic chemical exposures (such as solvents and nerve gasses), diabetic neuropathy Diabetic Neuropathy Definition Diabetic neuropathy is a nerve disorder caused by diabetes mellitus. Diabetic neuropathy may be diffuse, affecting several parts of the body, or focal, affecting a specific nerve and part of the body. , spinal cord injury Spinal Cord Injury Definition Spinal cord injury is damage to the spinal cord that causes loss of sensation and motor control. Description Approximately 10,000 new spinal cord injuries (SCIs) occur each year in the United States. , Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. 503/494-2505 ExpertSource cannot guarantee the immediate availability of these experts or their familiarity with this specific issue. ExpertSource, a collaboration of Business Wire and The Round Table Group, provides academic and industry experts to the media at no charge. Journalists are encouraged to submit queries to ExpertSource when seeking experts on specific subjects. An online registration form is available at http://www.businesswire.com/expertsource. Business Wire's Media Resource Center provides working journalists many free media services. Please visit the BW Media Resource Center at (www.businesswire.com/media) for more information. |
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