A recent study revealed that common HIV drugs could help in reducing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Data from over 225,000 individuals was studied, which showed HIV-positive, aged patients who take a certain HIV medication have fewer Alzheimer’s diagnoses compared with those who don’t have HIV.
The study provides new hope for treatment strategies for Alzheimer’s as it takes advantage of already existing drugs. This is vital as Alzheimer’s is an increasing medical crisis. The disease presently affects almost seven million people in the USA alone, and this count is predicted to nearly double by 2050.
Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys have made the crucial connection between HIV drugs and a decreased incidence of AD. The research headed by Jerold Chun, M.D., Ph.D., was published in the pharmaceutical journals.
This Alzheimer’s research has received significant interest and support from renowned foundations and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), emphasizing the importance of translating these findings into new treatments for AD.
Vocabulary List:
- Alzheimer (noun): A progressive mental deterioration that can occur in middle or old agedue to generalized degeneration of the brain.
- Diagnoses (noun): The identification of the nature of an illness or other problem by examination of the symptoms.
- Incidence (noun): The occurrencerateor frequency of a diseasecrimeor other undesirable thing.
- Crisis (noun): A time of intense difficultytroubleor danger.
- Renowned (adjective): Known or talked about by many people famous.
- Translated (verb): Express the sense of (words or text) in another language.
