The growing utility of medical imaging technologies for detecting early signs of Alzheimer's disease is raising a conundrum for senior citizens: Should they actually get the scans?
The New York Times addressed this question in an article published August 2. The story describes how imaging modalities like PET can detect early signs of Alzheimer's disease such as amyloid buildup in the brain -- in some cases years before symptoms appear.
Many individuals worried about their brain health are considering the scans, which are costly and aren't reimbursed by Medicare. And essentially, no effective treatments for Alzheimer's currently exist.
Also, many will never develop Alzheimer's, even those with signs of amyloid on PET. An average 75-year-old man with amyloid buildup has a 17.2% chance of developing Alzheimer's, while a woman of similar age has a 24% chance, according to the article.
The piece quotes one clinician as stating that even if an imaging exam for Alzheimer's disease were free, he wouldn't recommend it. But on the other hand, the article concludes by quoting the daughter of an elderly woman as welcoming information about her mother's possible disease, which would help her care for her loved one.
