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Alzheimer's disease key visual

Alzheimer's diseaseEmpowering hope

Alzheimer’s is more than a disease. It’s a growing global emergency affecting millions of people. And for decades, healthcare systems, hospitals and caregivers had to deal with this crisis with limited options and no hope in sight. Now – with the emergence of new disease-modifying therapies that can slow cognitive decline – there is renewed hope. And with our holistic product and services portfolio, we support you to deliver that hope to your patients and their loved ones along every step of the Alzheimer’s care pathway.

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Alzheimer's disease at a glance

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Understanding dementia & AD


Understanding dementia & AD

  • Dementia is a neurological condition characterized by the progressive loss of cognitive abilities and, eventually, the loss of everyday skills and a deterioration in personality
  • Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80% of all dementias1
Illustration showing the aging population


Growing aging population

  • More than 55 million people worldwide currently suffer from dementia2
  • In 2019, approximately 1.6 million people died with Alzheimer's disease, and from 2001 to 2021, there was a 141% increase in Alzheimer's disease-related deaths2
Illustration showing an arrow pointing upwards


Preparing for what's ahead

  • As the global population grows and life expectancy increases, the number of people affected by dementia is projected to rise to 139 million by 20502
Illustration symbolizing promising therapies


Promising therapies 

  • Several ground-breaking immunotherapy treatments have emerged that work to slow down cognitive decline in the early stages of AD
  • These disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are providing patients with hope for improved outcomes

A deep dive with Dr. Ana Franceschi


Dr. Ana Franceschi, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiologist, Lenox Hill Hospital, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine, Hofstra/Northwell, New York, USA.

Welcome to an exclusive video series with Dr. Ana Franceschi, a leading expert in neuroradiology at Lenox Hill Hospital. In this interview, she shares her inspiring journey, her groundbreaking work in Alzheimer's research, and her vision for the future of neuroimaging.Ìý

Pathology

Abnormal deposits of proteins

Understanding the complex brain changes behind Alzheimer's disease is essential to paving the way for new therapies. The exact mechanisms of how and why various forms of dementia develop are still being investigated. In AD, changes in the brain may begin a decade or more before cognitive decline is noticed. 

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Healthy neuron01
Amyloid plaque buildup01
Tau tangles01
Neurodegeneration01
Illustration of healthy neuron with dendrites, axon, and synapses.

Healthy neuron

A healthy neuron without any signs of neurodegeneration

Illustration of healthy neuron with dendrites, axon, and synapses.
Illustration of neuron with with beta-amyloid buildup
Illustration of neuron with tau buildup
Illustration of damaged neuron with multiple plaques and protein strands.
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Evaluation

Recognizing symptoms and understanding risk factors

Recognizing the signs, understanding the risks, and knowing the steps to diagnose Alzheimer's disease are key to helping patients and their families get the support they need.

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Symptoms01
Modifiable risk factors01
Other risk factors01

What are some typical symptoms?

AD affects memory, thinking, and social abilities - often progressing to a point where it significantly interferes with daily life.

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Illustration of doctor comforting an older woman showing signs of confusion.

Diagnosis

The various forms of dementia are difficult to differentiate diagnostically. For a reliable diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, it is necessary to:

  • Assess the patient's overall health history
  • Conduct cognitive testing, e.g. via the MoCa test
  • Perform routine blood tests to rule out other potentially reversible causes of cognitive decline
  • Perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to visualize structural changes in the brain (i.e. in patients with Alzheimer's disease: mesial temporal lobe and/or temporoparietal cortical atrophy)
  • Perform positron emission tomography (PET) using radiopharmaceuticals to visualize amyloid and/or tau deposits, and to rule out other potentially reversible causes of cognitive decline
  • Perform a lumbar puncture to analyze cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for amyloid and tau molecules
Alzheimer's disease patient poster - image of Alzheimers brain & healthy brain

Alzheimer's disease patient poster

Download and print our Alzheimer's disease patient poster - a clear, accessible resource designed to support awareness and understanding of Alzheimer's disease symptoms, risk factors, underlying causes, and current diagnostic and treatment options.Ìý

Treatment

Understanding DMTs

The battle against AD has long been one of the most challenging and heart-wrenching. However, new hope has emerged—novel therapies. These DMTs4 work to slow progression of this devastating disease. Treatment is focused on patients with mild cognitive decline or mild dementia due to AD.

How do DMTs work?

DMTs4 target the pathology of AD by reducing the beta-amyloid plaques that typically accumulate in the brains of patients with AD. Clinical studies have demonstrated that removing beta-amyloid from the brain reduces cognitive and functional decline in patients living with early AD.

Illustration of how Disease-Modifying Therapies (DMT) work: Amyloid beta protein accumulates around brain neurons in Alzheimer’s

Beta-amyloid protein accumulates around brain neurons 

Illustration of how Disease-Modifying Therapies (DMT) work: DMT antibody binds to amyloid beta protein

DMT antibody binds to beta-amyloid protein

Illustration of how Disease-Modifying Therapies (DMT) work: Antibody attracts immune cells to break down the protein

DMT antibody attracts immune cells to break down the protein

Illustration of how Disease-Modifying Therapies (DMT) work: Less amyloid beta protein around the neuron

Less beta-amyloid protein around the neuron

Disease modifying therapies for Alzheimer's and their impact


Exclusive interview with Prof. Alexander Hammers, Professor of Imaging and Neuroscience, Head of the PET Centre, Kings College London, London, UK.

In this exclusive interview, Prof. Alexander Hammers, a leading neurologist at Kings College London, shares his expert insights into the rapidly evolving field of Alzheimer's disease, highlighting the transformative potential of the new disease-modifying therapies4Ìýand explains the critical role of imaging.

Axial, sagittal, and coronal MRI and PET/MRI images. Top row demonstrates axial, sagittal, and coronal T2FLAIR images; bottom row demonstrates matching attenuation-corrected PET fused to T2 FLAIR series, windowed at maximum SUV 0-10. There is disproportionate decrease in 18F-FDG avidity in the bilateral, inferolateral parietal cortices, precuneus cortices, and posterior temporal cortices.

Navigating the care pathway

These new DMTs4, while promising, require careful consideration to identify patients early enough in the disease progression:

  • To enter therapy, the presence of beta-amyloid pathology must be confirmed by either cerebrospinal fluid lab diagnostics or beta-amyloid PET imaging
  • MRI monitoring is necessary during treatment to monitor for adverse side effects or amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA)Ìý

Imaging is set to play a pivotal role in both early detection and the long-term management of Alzheimer's disease, providing clinicians withÌýpowerful tools to improve patient outcomes.

A Clinician's guide to detecting and diagnosing ARIA in Alzheimer's disease patients

A clinician's guide to detecting and diagnosing ARIA in Alzheimer's disease patients

Clinicians play a critical role in precisely detecting and diagnosing ARIA to ensure patient safety and support the effective delivery of treatment.

Expert perspectives

Discover how physicians are using PET and MRI throughout the AD care pathway.

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Dr. Jana Ivanidze01
Dr. Jacob Dubroff01
Dr. Petrice Cogswell01

Amyloid PET in the diagnosis and management of patients with suspected Alzheimer disease

Dr. Jana Ivanidze discusses the latest developments in PET tracers and PET imaging, highlighting their role in early diagnosis.

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Your partner in AD care

Explore our holistic product and services portfolio along every step of the Alzheimer's care pathway.

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    https://www.dzne.de/aktuelles/hintergrund/faktenzentrale/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
    2
    https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.13809
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    4Ìý
    Disease Modifying Therapy (DMT) in Alzheimer's disease comes with risks. Please refer to the specific DMT's prescribing information for side effects, contraindications, and risks. 
    The statements by Siemens Healthineers customers described herein are based on results that were achieved in the customer's unique setting. Because there is no "typical" hospital or laboratory and many variables exist (eg, hospital size, sample mix, case mix, level of IT, and/or automation adoption) there can be no guarantee that other customers will achieve the same results. 
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK566116/#:~:text=Immunotherapy%20focuses%20on%20the%20generation,activation%20of%20the%20immune%20system.
    The products and features mentioned are not commercially available in all countries. Future availability cannot be guaranteed.