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Guidelines for sites linking to mayoclinic.orgG03 - January 2006 - Blood Test for Alzheimer's
Intro: Ask anyone who's lost a loved one to Alzheimer's disease and they'll tell you how devastating the illness can be. There is no cure for Alzheimer's, but every year researchers are learning more. Doctors at Mayo Clinic are studying a new test that could predict who will get Alzheimer's. And this information could help doctors find ways to prevent it.
| Video | Audio |
| Total running time 1:39 | IN THE EARLY STAGES OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, HOBART JOOST JR.'S DAD SEEMED OK. BUT HE SLOWLY DECLINED AS THE DISEASE PROGRESSED. |
| Hobart Joost Jr. | "WHEN IT WAS BAD IT WAS TERRIBLE. IT GOT TO WHERE HE WOULD LOOK AT YOU AND WOULD TRY TO TALK AND HE JUST COULDN'T TALK. IT WOULD BE NONSENSE. AND TO SEE A PROUD MAN LIKE THAT COME TO SOMETHING LIKE THAT WAS JUST DEVASTATING." |
VO: pictures of Hobart and son To Dr. Graff-Radford and Younkin in lab/office |
HOBART JR. HAS A 9-YEAR-OLD SON HE WANTS TO PROTECT FROM THE DISEASE. SO HOBART ENROLLED IN A STUDY AT MAYO CLINIC. RESEARCHERS THERE ARE HOPING TO CONFIRM WHETHER A BLOOD TEST CAN HELP PREDICT SOME OF THE RISK OF WHO'S GOING TO GET ALZHEIMER'S. IT'S SORT OF LIKE A CHOLESTEROL TEST FOR HEART DISEASE. |
Neill Graff-Radford, M.D. Mayo Clinic Neurologist |
"WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH CHOLESTEROL TESTS WHICH SHOW THAT HIGH CHOLESTEROL EFFECTS HEART DISEASE OR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. YOU CAN THINK OF A BLOOD TEST FOR ALZHEIMER'S AS REFLECTING SOME OF THE RISKS OF WHO'S GOING TO GET ALZHEIMER'S." |
VO: Dr. Graff-Radford and Younkin in lab/office to animation Standup Vivien Williams Reporting |
DR. NEILL GRAFF-RADFORD AND DR. STEVEN YOUNKIN SAY THE TEST MEASURES THE LEVELS OF TWO PROTEINS IN YOUR BLOOD: A-BETA 40 AND A-BETA 42. IN THE EARLY STAGES OF ALZHEIMER'S, THE LEVEL OF A-BETA 42 STARTS TO LOWER IN YOUR BLOOD BECAUSE IT'S COLLECTING IN YOUR BRAIN. THE DEPOSITS FORM PLAQUES, WHICH ARE PART OF THE PATHOLOGY OF ALZHEIMER'S. SO IF THE BLOOD TEST SHOWS A LOW LEVEL OF A-BETA 42 COMPARED TO A-BETA 40 IN YOUR BLOOD YOU ARE THREE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. |
| VO: to Hobart and pictures of son | AND THIS INFORMATION WILL HOPEFULLY LEAD TO TREATMENTS THAT WILL PREVENT PEOPLE LIKE HOBART AND HIS SON FROM GETTING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. |
| FOR MEDICAL EDGE, I'M VIVIEN WILLIAMS. | |
Tag: Drs. Graff-Radford and Dr. Younkin are looking to involve 3,000 people in this study. And they also say that as research progresses doctors will likely find other risk factors that will help predict who might get this disease. For more information, log onto our Web site at ...
STATIONS: Per the licensing agreement, please provide a link from your station's Web site to www.mayoclinic.org/medical-edge or voice tag "mayoclinic.org/medical-edge" for more information.
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