美国国家公共电台 NPR How Soon Is Soon Enough To Learn You Have Alzheimer's?

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

An Alzheimer's diagnosis¹ can be so frightening, doctors say, that many people would rather dismiss memory problems than investigate them. As a result, experts think only about half of all cases are actually diagnosed. Recent developments could make it possible to detect the illness long before symptoms appear. But since there is still no cure, the question is whether getting an early diagnosis is worth it. Alex Smith of member station KCUR has this report.

ALEX SMITH, BYLINE²: Jose Belardo of Lansing, Kan., spent most of his career in the U.S. Public Health Service. He worked on the frontlines of disasters in places like Haiti, Columbia, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. At home with his three kids and wife, Elaine, he was unfailingly reliable. So when he forgot their wedding anniversary two years in a row, they both started to worry.

ELAINE BELARDO: We recognized something wasn't right and pretty much attributed it to being overworked and tired.

SMITH: Then, last year, when Jose was 50 years old, he got an evaluation³ at the Walter Reed Medical Center, which included an amyloid PET scan. Jose says his diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's disease came as an inconvenient⁴ shock.

JOSE BELARDO: I got responsibility, man. I can't go away. I got kids. I've got graduations coming up. I got all this stuff coming up. I'm not going to let Alzheimer's take that away from me. That's for sure.

SMITH: Alzheimer's testing with biomarkers, like beta-amyloids, is still not widely available. But John Morris at Washington University in St. Louis says while still in the developmental phase, it could be the start of a new chapter in Alzheimer's care.

JOHN MORRIS: We're trying to treat people prior to the stage of dementia, prior to the stage where memory and thinking are affected⁵ in an effort to delay the loss of memory and thinking ability or even prevent it.

SMITH: Even though such treatment is probably a long way off, researchers and advocates say there are still lots of good reasons to seek an early diagnosis. Alzheimer's has typically been diagnosed by observing a patient's behavior and running cognitive⁶ tests. This can be pretty inexact and lead to misdiagnosis or other conditions going undetected.

MORRIS: For example, sometimes, a low thyroid hormone⁷ level can produce a dementia-like state. And that can be easily treated with thyroid replacement⁸ therapy.

SMITH: A study by the Alzheimer's Association shows that with more accurate tests, early diagnosis could save $64,000 per patient over the course of their lifetime. And since the new diagnostic method may make it possible to detect Alzheimer's at an earlier stage, patients can be more involved in planning for their future. That can go a long way to reduce the emotional toll⁹ of the disease for them and their loved ones.

After Jose Belardo's illness was diagnosed, his family rushed to get his affairs in order. They got in touch with the Alzheimer's Association, which provided support groups and other help. And before long, as his wife Elaine explains, the shock started to wear off.

E. BELARDO: And so what I would say is after you get a diagnosis of something that is incurable¹⁰ and progressive and perhaps even aggressive, pause and breathe and think about where the person is right at that moment because at that moment, Jose was not dying. And at this moment, Jose is not dying.

SMITH: Researchers hope that by getting more Alzheimer's patients diagnosed early on, more people with the disease will, like Jose, be able to make the best of the health they have.

For NPR News, I'm Alex Smith in Kansas City.

MARTIN: We have an update from the Belardos. They are in the final stages of preparing for the wedding of their daughter, Lauren (ph), next month.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MARTIN: This story is a partnership¹¹ between NPR, KCUR and Kaiser Health News.

1 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

4 inconvenient   

adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的

参考例句：

• You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。
• Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗？

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

7 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

8 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

9 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

10 incurable   

adj.不能医治的，不能矫正的，无救的；n.不治的病人，无救的人

参考例句：

• All three babies were born with an incurable heart condition.三个婴儿都有不可治瘉的先天性心脏病。
• He has an incurable and widespread nepotism.他们有不可救药的，到处蔓延的裙带主义。

11 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。