Medical Journey of Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Alzheimer's Disease Dementia: A Cross-sectional Survey of Patients, Care Partners, and Neurologists

BACKGROUND

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease presenting along a continuum ranging from asymptomatic disease to mild cognitive impairment (MCI), followed by dementia characterized as mild, moderate, or severe.

OBJECTIVES

To better understand the medical journey of patients with all-cause MCI or mild AD dementia from the perspective of patients, care partners, and physicians.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Online surveys in the United States between February 4, 2021, and March 1, 2021.

PARTICIPANTS

103 patients with all-cause MCI or mild AD dementia and 150 care partners participated in this survey. 301 physicians (75 of whom were neurologists) completed a survey.

MEASUREMENTS

The surveys included questions regarding attitudes, experiences, and behaviors related to diagnosis and management of MCI and mild AD dementia. For the patient and care partner surveys, questions regarding healthcare received for MCI and mild AD dementia were only asked of care partners.

RESULTS

Most patients (73%) had a similar medical journey. The majority (64%) initially consulted a primary care physician on average 15 months after symptom onset, with symptoms primarily consisting of forgetfulness and short-term memory loss. About half (51%) of patients in the typical medical journey were diagnosed by a neurologist. Upon diagnosis, most neurologists reported having discussions with patients and care partners about the potential causes of MCI or mild AD dementia (83%); of these physicians, 83% explained the effect other conditions have on the risk of the diagnoses and symptom progression. Neurologists (52%) consider themselves the coordinator of care for patients with MCI or mild AD dementia. Amongst patients and care partners, about one-third (35%) perceive the neurologists to be the coordinating physician.

CONCLUSIONS

Neurologists commonly diagnose MCI and mild AD dementia but are typically not the first point of contact in the medical journey, and patients do not consult with a physician for over a year after symptom onset. Neurologists play a key role in the medical journey for patients and care partners, and could help ensure earlier diagnosis and treatment, and improve clinical outcomes by coordinating MCI and mild AD dementia care and collaborating with primary care physicians.

2022 update to the position statement by Primary Care Diabetes Europe: a disease state approach to the pharmacological management of type 2 diabetes in primary care

Type 2 diabetes and its associated comorbidities are growing more prevalent, and the complexity of optimising glycaemic control is increasing, especially on the frontlines of patient care. In many countries, most patients with type 2 diabetes are managed in a primary care setting. However, primary healthcare professionals face the challenge of the growing plethora of available treatment options for managing hyperglycaemia, leading to difficultly in making treatment decisions and contributing to treatment and therapeutic inertia. This position statement offers a simple and patient-centred clinical decision-making model with practical treatment recommendations that can be widely implemented by primary care clinicians worldwide through shared-decision conversations with their patients. It highlights the importance of managing cardiovascular disease and elevated cardiovascular risk in people with type 2 diabetes and aims to provide innovative risk stratification and treatment strategies that connect patients with the most effective care.

A disease state approach to the pharmacological management of Type 2 diabetes in primary care: A position statement by Primary Care Diabetes Europe

Type 2 diabetes and its associated comorbidities are growing more prevalent, and the complexity of optimising glycaemic control is increasing, especially on the frontlines of patient care. In many countries, most patients with type 2 diabetes are managed in a primary care setting. However, primary healthcare professionals face the challenge of the growing plethora of available treatment options for managing hyperglycaemia, leading to difficultly in making treatment decisions and contributing to therapeutic inertia. This position statement offers a simple and patient-centred clinical decision-making model with practical treatment recommendations that can be widely implemented by primary care clinicians worldwide through shared-decision conversations with their patients. It highlights the importance of managing cardiovascular disease and elevated cardiovascular risk in people with type 2 diabetes and aims to provide innovative risk stratification and treatment strategies that connect patients with the most effective care.

Impact on guidelines: The general practitioner point of view

Primary care physicians are uniquely placed to offer holistic, patient-centred care to patients with T2DM. While the recent FDA-mandated cardiovascular outcome trials offer a wealth of data to inform treatment discussions, they have also contributed to increasing complexity in treatment decisions, and in the guidelines that seek to assist in making these decisions. To assist physicians in avoiding treatment inertia, Primary Care Diabetes Europe has formulated a position statement that summarises our current understanding of the available T2DM treatment options in various patient populations. New data from recent outcomes trials is contextualised and summarised for the primary care physician. This consensus paper also proposes a unique and simple tool to stratify patients into 'very high' and 'high' cardiovascular risk categories and outlines treatment recommendations for patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart failure and chronic kidney disease. Special consideration is given to elderly/frail patients and those with obesity. A visual patient assessment tool is provided, and a comprehensive set of prescribing tips is presented for all available classes of glucose-lowering therapies. This position statement will complement the already available, often specialist-focused, T2DM treatment guidelines and provide greater direction in how the wealth of outcome trial data can be applied to everyday practice.

GLP-1 receptor agonists vs. DPP-4 inhibitors for type 2 diabetes: is one approach more successful or preferable than the other?

BACKGROUND

In patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), incretin-based therapies improve glycaemic control with low incidence of hypoglycaemia and without weight gain, both advantages over traditional add-ons to metformin. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors are administered orally and provide a physiological increase in glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels, while GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are injectable and deliver pharmacological levels of GLP-1RA. This review aims to distinguish between GLP-1RAs and DPP-4 inhibitors, and discuss when each may be favoured in clinical practice.

METHODS

A MEDLINE search, limited to human clinical trials and using the search criteria 'GLP-1RA' or 'DPP-4 inhibitor', identified seven head-to-head studies and one relevant post hoc analysis (all a GLP-1RA vs. the DPP-4 inhibitor sitagliptin). In combination with treatment algorithms, product prescribing information and personal clinical experience, these studies were used to compare the efficacy and suitability of GLP-1RAs and DPP-4 inhibitors in patients with T2D.

RESULTS

In head-to-head clinical trials, GLP-1RAs provided greater glycaemic control, weight loss and overall treatment satisfaction vs. the DPP-4 inhibitor sitagliptin. Transient nausea was more frequent with GLP-1RAs and should be addressed through patient education and an incremental dosing approach. Current treatment algorithms recommend incretin-based therapy use after metformin failure, but local guidance may restrict their use.

CONCLUSION

GLP-1RAs provide superior glycaemic control and weight loss vs. DPP-4 inhibitors in patients with T2D. DPP-4 inhibitors may sometimes be preferred to a GLP-1RA if weight is not a concern, oral administration is a desirable feature or when a GLP-1RA cannot be tolerated.

Differential corticospinal tract degeneration in homozygous 'D90A' SOD-1 ALS and sporadic ALS

BACKGROUND

The homogeneous genotype and stereotyped phenotype of a unique familial form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (patients homozygous for aspartate-to-alanine mutations in codon 90 (homD90A) superoxide dismutase 1) provides an ideal model for studying genotype/phenotype interactions and pathological features compared with heterogeneous apparently sporadic ALS. The authors aimed to use diffusion tensor tractography to quantify and compare changes in the intracerebral corticospinal tracts of patients with both forms of ALS, building on previous work using whole-brain voxelwise group analysis.

METHOD

21 sporadic ALS patients, seven homD90A patients and 20 healthy controls underwent 1.5 T diffusion tensor MRI. Patients were assessed using 'upper motor neuron burden,' El Escorial and ALSFR-R scales. The intracranial corticospinal tract was assessed using diffusion tensor tractography measures of fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity, and radial and axial diffusivity obtained from its entire length.

RESULTS

Corticospinal tract FA was reduced in sporadic ALS patients compared with both homD90A ALS patients and controls. The diffusion measures in sporadic ALS patients were consistent with anterograde (Wallerian) degeneration of the corticospinal tracts. In sporadic ALS, corticospinal tract FA was related to clinical measures. Despite a similar degree of clinical upper motor neuron dysfunction and disability in homD90A ALS patients compared with sporadic ALS, there were no abnormalities in corticospinal tract diffusion measures compared with controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Diffusion tensor tractography has shown axonal degeneration within the intracerebral portion of the corticospinal tract in sporadic ALS patients, but not those with a homogeneous form of familial ALS. This suggests significant genotypic influences on the phenotype of ALS and may provide clues to slower progression of disease in homD90A patients.

Liposomal packaging generates Wnt protein with in vivo biological activity

Wnt signals exercise strong cell-biological and regenerative effects of considerable therapeutic value. There are, however, no specific Wnt agonists and no method for in vivo delivery of purified Wnt proteins. Wnts contain lipid adducts that are required for activity and we exploited this lipophilicity by packaging purified Wnt3a protein into lipid vesicles. Rather than being encapsulated, Wnts are tethered to the liposomal surface, where they enhance and sustain Wnt signaling in vitro. Molecules that effectively antagonize soluble Wnt3a protein but are ineffective against the Wnt3a signal presented by a cell in a paracrine or autocrine manner are also unable to block liposomal Wnt3a activity, suggesting that liposomal packaging mimics the biological state of active Wnts. When delivered subcutaneously, Wnt3a liposomes induce hair follicle neogenesis, demonstrating their robust biological activity in a regenerative context.

Review article: impact of night-time reflux on lifestyle - unrecognized issues in reflux disease

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD), manifesting with symptoms including heartburn and regurgitation, affects people during both daytime and nocturnal hours. Night-time GERD has been reported to have a greater impact on a patient's life than daytime GERD due to prolonged oesophageal acid exposure time per reflux episode. To further understand this issue, it is important to implement quality of life (QOL) measures. QOL studies are becoming increasingly important to physicians in making clinical decisions, and generic and disease-specific health-related QOL (HRQL) tools have been developed to measure a wide variety of topics. There are currently no universally accepted guidelines on how to best measure HRQL in GERD patients. It is important to note that these surveys may not yield accurate results because many GERD sufferers may feel that their symptoms are not serious enough to seek treatment. Some surveys include the GERD-HRQL assessment, the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and the Gallup survey. When compared with daytime GERD patients, night-time GERD patients may suffer from sleep deprivation, which in turn leads to physical and emotional problems and a poor overall QOL. Studies indicate that the prevalence and impact of night-time heartburn have been underestimated and that adequate treatment of symptoms is often not achieved. In addition, GERD greatly affects work productivity and leads to a significant economic burden on society. Although limited studies are available on the impact of pharmacological treatment on GERD QOL, recent findings indicate that proton pump inhibitors are more effective than H(2)-receptor antagonists for the improvement of overall QOL.

New guidelines to prevent atherosclerosis

The Scientific Board of the California Medical Association presents the following inventory of items of progress in general and family practice. Each item, in the judgment of a panel of knowledgeable physicians, has recently become reasonably firmly established, both as to scientific fact and important clinical significance. The items are presented in simple epitome, and an authoritative reference, both to the item itself and to the subject as a whole, is generally given for those who may be unfamiliar with a particular item. The purpose is to assist busy practitioners, students, researchers, or scholars to stay abreast of these items of progress in general and family practice that have recently achieved a substantial degree of authoritative acceptance, whether in their own field of special interest or another. The items of progress listed below were selected by the Advisory Panel to the Section on General and Family Practice of the California Medical Association, and the summaries were prepared under its direction.

Entry of U.S. medical school graduates into family practice residencies: a national study, December 1983

This study is the second in a series of reports from the American Academy of Family Physicians on the percentage of each medical school's graduates who enter family practice residency programs. Approximately 12.9% of the 15,985 graduates of United States medical schools between July 1981 and June 1982 were first-year residents in family practice in December 1982. The West North Central region reports the highest percentage of medical school graduates who were first-year residents in family practice programs in December 1982; the New England and Middle Atlantic regions had the lowest percentage. Medical school graduates from publicly funded medical schools were twice as likely to be first-year residents in family practice in December 1982 as were graduates from privately funded medical schools.

Entry of US medical school graduates into family practice residencies: a national study

No authoritative source has reported the percentage of each medical school's graduates who enter family practice residency programs. This study is the first of a series of reports from the American Academy of Family Physicians to report such data. Approximately 12.8 percent of the 15,667 graduates of United States medical schools between July 1980 and June 1981 were first-year residents in family practice in December 1981. The West North Central Region reported the highest percentage of medical school graduates who were first-year residents in family practice programs in December 1981; the New England and Middle Atlantic regions had the lowest percentages. Medical school graduates from publicly funded medical schools were twice as likely to be first-year residents in family practice in December 1981 as were graduates from privately funded medical schools.

Evaluation of a detoxification regimen for fat stored xenobiotics

A detoxification regimen has been found to be safe for use by individuals exposed to recreational (abused) and medical drugs, patent medicines, occupational and environmental chemicals. Patients with high blood pressure had a mean reduction of 30.8 mm systolic, 23.3 mm diastolic. Cholesterol level mean reduction was 19.5 mg/100ml, while triglycerides did not change. Medical complications associated with the program were rare, occurring in less than three percent of the subjects. The program resulted in improvements in psychological test scores. The mean increase in Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale IQ was 6.7 points. High Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory profiles decreased on the third scale (10.7), the fourth scale (8.0), the fifth scale (4.5) and the sixth scale (8.0). The decrease in the fourth scale suggests hope for sociopaths, a group with fourth scale scores not improved by National Institute for Mental Health or Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act inpatient programs.

Prospective, randomized comparative study of clindamycin, chloramphenicol, and ticarcillin, each in combination with gentamicin, in therapy for intraabdominal and female genital tract sepsis

The results of a prospective, randomized comparative study of the efficacy and toxicity of clindamycin, chloramphenicol, and ticarcillin in the treatment, concomitantly with gentamicin to ensure complete aerobic coverage, of 175 patients with serious mixed aerobic/anaerobic intraabdominal or female genital tract sepsis are reported. In the group with intraabdominal sepsis, 33 (79%) of 42 treated with clindamycin, 43 (81%) of 53 treated with chloramphenicol, and 35 (90%) of 39 treated with ticarcillin were cured. In the group with genital tract sepsis, 16 (94%) of 17 treated with clindamycin, 11 (100%) of 11 treated with chloramphenicol, and 12 (92%) of 13 treated with ticarcillin were cured. Diarrhea occurred most frequently in patients treated with clindamycin (P < 0.001), hematologic suppression occurred most frequently in patients treated with chloramphenicol (P < 0.01), and hypokalemia occurred most frequently in patients treated with ticarcillin (P < 0.01). Clindamycin, chloramphenicol, and ticarcillin, each in combination with gentamicin, are equally effective in therapy for intraabdominal or female genital tract sepsis.