Step up research on Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer's disease is cruel, progressive, sure. There are no known survivors. This killer devastates its victims and family caregivers, and drives up health care costs dramatically. And it's increasingly common as more Americans avoid other diseases and live longer.

It's time for a showdown. Throw everything we can muster at efforts to slow or stop its assault.

Alzheimer's is the nation's seventh-leading cause of death and rising fast. Between 2000 and 2006, the percentages of deaths caused by such well-known afflictions as heart disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, stroke and HIV/AIDS all decreased. Alzheimer's shot up 47 percent. More than 5 million Americans have this disease. By age 55, one in six women and one in 10 men are at risk.

In Iowa, with our already large aging population and the baby boomer generation entering retirement age, Alzheimer's is the No. 5 cause of death. About 69,000 Iowans 65 or older have the disease; that's expected to rise to 77,000 within 15 years. More than 1,000 of them die every year.

This issue is not about Grandma or Grandpa's occasional forgetfulness. Alzheimer's destroys brain cells, progressively affecting memory, thinking and behavior. In addition to slowly stealing a victim's functions and personality, it creates stressful demands on caregivers and their families. In 2009 alone, 106,000 Iowans provided 1.2 million hours of unpaid care to loved ones.

Even so, the costs mount. Alzheimer's care expenses are three times that of the average Medicare patient, putting even more strain on the nation's public health insurance program.

Reining in this disease is in everyone's best interests. Researchers have found treatments that help patients function better. Diagnoses are more accurate. But there's been little progress toward prevention or cure.

The No. 1 obstacle is money. Alzheimer's researchers receive $400 million a year in federal funds to augment private donations. That's a fraction of the billions allotted for cancer, heart and other major diseases. More funding could expand and speed up research and results.

Increased government spending on almost anything these days, given our soaring national debt and an economic recession not yet defeated, must be scrutinized.

Yet if we don't invest enough to arrest this disease sometime soon, we may be contributing to future budget deficits.

A bill in Congress, the Breakthrough Act, would authorize more funding for Alzheimer's research and education. Call your senator or representative, and urge their support.

-- The Gazette Editorial Board