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| |  Earlier Intervention Could Reduce Burden Of Alzheimer's Disease LONDON, ENGLAND -- October 23, 1997 -- The emotional and financial burden of Alzheimer's disease could be radically reduced with earlier intervention, conclude health economics researchers in the journal Quality in Health Care. One in five people over the age of 70 is currently affected by the disease, with most of their care provided by an informal network of relatives and friends, who save the state between £15 and £24 billion every year said the report by Dr. Neil Johnson, Health Economics Research Group, Cambridge Pharma Consultancy, and his colleagues. Yet resources continue to be directed to crisis management and institutional care for the few, rather than preventive support and adequate help for the carers looking after the many, the study suggests. The advent of effective drug treatment means the need for institutional care and/or the need for community support services can be delayed, but only if the disease is recognised early enough. Recent data indicate up to a third of demented patients are misdiagnosed and the routine annual check given to all the over 75s is not designed to detect Alzheimer's, when it could easily be adapted.
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