Disease-modifying drugs for Alzheimer’s offer a meaningful glimpse of hope for many people who fear dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, but dementia itself is an umbrella term for symptoms such as memory loss, confusion and changes in thinking.
Unlike older dementia drugs, which help with symptoms but do not change the underlying disease, disease-modifying treatments are designed to slow the disease process itself. So far, these treatments appear to delay symptom progression by several months rather than years. They also carry a small but serious risk of side-effects, including swelling and bleeding in the brain. At present, they are suitable only for some people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, meaning that many others will still face dementia with no cure on the horizon.
