& HAPPINESS New StudyTo Test Anti-inflammatories in Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention (NAPS)—Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative brain disease that can cause memoryloss, impaired thinking, confusion, and the inability to care for oneself. And as Baby Boomersage, the disease, which mostly affects peo- ple age 75 and older, is expected to become more ofan issue: Up to four million Americans now have Alzheimer’s disease. That number will double by 2020. By 2050, 10 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s disease. Half of all nursing homeresi- dents have Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder. e U.S. expenditures on Alz- heimer’s disease are now esti- mated to exceed $90 billion. Although there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, there may be ways to prevent or delay its onset. One avenueof research includes a new clinical research trial, which is testing whether anti-inflamma- tory pain relievers might prevent Alzheimer’s disease. The Alzheimer’s Disease Anti- inflammatory Prevention Trial (ADAPT) is taking place at four study centers across the country. Sponsored by the National Institute on Aging with additional support from the manufacturers of the study drugs, ADAPT is now recruiting healthy people who have a family history of Alz- heimer’s disease, and who could travel to one of the study centers: The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore; The University of Rochester Medical Center in New York; Boston University School of Medicine in Massachusetts; and Sun Health Research Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. ADAPT will confirm or disprove an apparentrelationship between use of anti-inflammato- ries and the prevention of Alz- heimer’s disease. “ADAPT is a randomized, con- trolled trial of two different drugs Numberof Americans with Alzheimer's Disease 4 million ] 2001 ____—s—i*&dswdaaen 8 million es .)7) 10 million @ By 2020, the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease is expected to double. to see whether they can delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease in people who are normal, but at risk,” said Study Chair Dr. John Breitner. The trial will enroll 2,625 healthy participants and follow them for up to seven years. Partic- ipants will take Aleve (220 mg naproxen sodium), an over-thecounter non-steroidal anti-inflam- matory drug (NSAID), Celebrex (200 mg celecoxib), a prescription NSAID that is a selective COX-2 inhibitor, or a placebo. Study participants must: Be age 70 orolder; e Have a biological parent, brother or sister who has or had serious, age-related memoryloss, dementia, senility or Alzheimer’s disease; Have NOT been diagnosed with dementia, senility or Alz- heimer’s disease; and e Live near a study site, or be able to travel to a study site up to three times a year. Participants will receive regular health evaluations by health professionals who specialize in Alzheimer’s disease and agerelated memoryloss. To learn more about participating in the ADAPTstudy,call toll-free: 1-866- 2-stop-AD (1-866-278-6723), or visit www.2stopAD.org.
