BALTIMORE — Dr. Paul Rosenberg and Dr. Constantine Lyketsos say the most important part of this study is giving people hope. The Johns Hopkins professors are looking into a possible new treatment for an Alzheimer's symptom that affects 25 to 50 percent of patients.
"We're trying to keep people out of nursing homes by treating their worst symptoms, and making caregivers happier," said Dr. Rosenberg.
And one of the worst symptoms of dementia is agitation. It can be expressed through excessive movement, like pacing, or through verbal and physical aggression.
"You damage a certain part of the brain, you lose inhibitory control or mood control, and so you develop agitation," Dr. Lyketsos explained, adding that patients are also vulnerable to agitation if they develop another general medical condition. Any small stressor on the body can cause agitation.
Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's is hard enough, but some symptoms can be more exhausting than others.
"If they're hitting you, if they're yelling at you, cursing at you, it's very troubling. And it certainly is a risk factor for declining of your function and also getting institutionalized. This is often the straw that breaks the camel's back," Dr. Rosenberg said.
New research shows a drug that's commonly prescribed as an anti-depressant, Escitalopram, can also help treat agitation in dementia patients.
"Because in the old days, for agitation and symptoms like it, there were not effective systematic approaches. People were sedated, or over-medicated as a means of getting control over their symptoms," Dr. Lyketsos explained.
Dr. Rosenberg and Dr. Lyketsos are now doing a follow-up study. Mersania Jn Pierre is the research coordinator. She's already started working with about 170 patients and their families.
"It means a lot. That's the goal with all of this and being a part of research is to make an impact and help people," Jn Pierre said.
Research is taking place across the country, but they're looking for more local participants.
"It's not just to help yourself, it's to help the world. It's obvious that we need better treatments, particularly for agitation. We're studying a pretty safe drug, but we need to find out if it works," Dr. Rosenberg said.
Participation is free. Find out more on how to join the trial here.
