Charlton Heston knows first hand that detecting Alzheimer's Disease early
gives patients extended quality time with loved ones. Heston announced earlier this year
that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's after a PET scan detected signs of the disease.
UCLA researchers have found that PET scans enable physicians to diagnose
Alzheimer's before the symptoms set in, which gives patients options to help delay the progression
of the disease.
Using PET to determine if patients have Alzheimer's would correspond to a
65% decrease in avoidable months of nursing home care, and a 48% drop in unnecessary drug treatment,
according to Dr. Daniel Silverman, assistant professor of molecular and medical pharmacology and
associate director of imaging for the UCLA Alzheimer's Disease Center.
"Even a 6-month difference in the date of detection can profoundly affect the
progression of Alzheimer's," said Dr. Michael E. Phelps, chair of the Department of Molecular Medical
Pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
PET scans offer Alzheimer's patients HOPE.
Charlton Heston advocates the benefits of PET for early Alzheimer's Detection (public service announcement from the Academy of Molecular Imaging):
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Medicare approves PET in Alzheimer's disease. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced September 15, 2004 that it will provide limited coverage for the use of FDG-PET in the diagnosis and treatment of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early dementia in elderly patients meeting certain criteria: >>More
Alzheimer's Foundation of America Supports Medicare Reimbursement for Brain Scans.
Press Release announcing the organization's support of the federal government's proposal to provide Medicare reimbursement of PET for some individuals with suspected Alzheimer's disease. >>More.
Made in Her Mother's Image? article from USAToday.com: "Experimental Brain scans may show Alzheimer's in her future, or not."
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Patient information
about PET scans and Alzheimer's Disease:
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Physician information about PET scanning and Alzheimer's Disease:
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Case Study of PET Scanning and Alzheimer's Disease:
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