To the Editor:
Re “New Potential for Diagnosing Alzheimer’s Disease” (Science Times, July 21):
Blood-based detection of Alzheimer’s would do more than change how the disease is diagnosed. It could catch the disease earlier, and that matters enormously to the millions of Americans who will shoulder the intense demands of caregiving for someone living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.
New research from the University of Southern California finds that family caregivers provide 6.8 billion hours of care each year to a relative or friend with dementia, worth an estimated $237 billion. These caregivers are the backbone of Alzheimer’s and dementia care in this country. They fill the gaps left by a system that too often delivers a diagnosis after the window for real care planning and financial preparation has closed.
The toll is clear: Data from the National Alliance for Caregiving and the Alzheimer’s Association shows that family caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s are nearly twice as likely as other caregivers to report that their own health has declined as a result of their caregiving duties.
Reliable blood testing would give families something they rarely get now: time. Time to pursue the new Alzheimer’s therapies coming to market, time to prioritize their own health and time to prepare for the care their loved one will eventually need.
Congress is already looking ahead. The bipartisan Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention Act would direct Medicare to cover routine blood-based screening once the Food and Drug Administration signs off. It deserves support.
Jason Resendez Washington The writer is the president and chief executive of the National Alliance for Caregiving.
To the Editor:
The development of blood tests that detect biological changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most important advances in medicine in decades. These tests may allow primary care physicians to identify Alzheimer’s pathology quickly and efficiently. But a positive Alzheimer’s blood test does not necessarily mean that Alzheimer’s disease is causing a patient’s cognitive or behavioral symptoms.
Very well-designed research studies consistently show that many older adults — perhaps up to 40 percent — harbor Alzheimer’s pathology despite having no symptoms at all. As a result, an older person with cognitive and behavioral symptoms may test positive for Alzheimer’s biomarkers while the true cause of the symptoms lies elsewhere.
Other neurodegenerative conditions, vascular and metabolic changes, psychiatric illness and a host of medical problems can cause symptoms on their own or amplify the effects of Alzheimer’s pathology, while social and contextual factors often determine whether and how cognitive difficulties become apparent. Many of these influences cannot be detected with a simple blood test.
The promise of these new blood biomarkers is enormous. But if positive test results are acted on without careful differential diagnosis, we risk confusing the presence of Alzheimer’s biology with the cause of a patient’s symptoms. Those are not always the same thing.
Adam M. Brickman New York The writer is a professor of neuropsychology and a co-director of Columbia University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.
Data Centers Make Noise, Too
To the Editor:
Re “Hochul Enacts Nation’s First Halt on Data Centers” (news article, July 15):
The executive order signed on July 14 by Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York that pauses construction of large data centers in the state is a welcome step. The rapid development and construction of these centers is far outpacing our understanding of their effects on our communities, ecosystems and pocketbooks.
Public concern about these centers often focuses on the amount of energy and water they use, but the effects of the noise they produce is frequently overlooked.
Data center noise is chronic — typically 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — and contains low frequencies that travel long distances and penetrate walls and windows. Low-frequency noise is generally not dealt with in existing federal, state or municipal noise ordinances.
Adverse health effects experienced by adults and children from data center noise include hearing damage, migraines, sleep disruption and forms of stress known to increase the risks of cardiovascular disease and other serious physical and mental health disorders.
This one-year moratorium is a critical opportunity for New York and other states nationwide to develop appropriate regulations to protect those living near data centers. As they do, the harmful effects of noise should not be overlooked.
Jamie L. Banks Lincoln, Mass. The writer is the founder and president of Quiet Communities.
The post New Alzheimer’s Test Is Cause for Hope and Caution appeared first on New York Times.
