A new model predicts how an individual's Alzheimer's disease will progress Dutch researchers hope to turn it into an app for patients' use A personalized forecast could help gauge the possible effects of Alzheimer's treatments THURSDAY, July 11, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Dutch researchers are developing an app to predict how individual cases of will progress. Based on data from nearly 1,000 Alzheimer's patients, they have already developed a prediction model that can forecast mental decline in people who have mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia. The model is a step toward personal forecasting, researchers said.
"In the future, this will become even more important if we can treat Alzheimer's disease," said , research director at Alzheimer Centre Amsterdam. "Doctors can use the prediction model to explain what the possible effect of a treatment can be." For example, she said, it could forecast the effects of medication use or lifestyle changes.
At diagnosis, a patient's first question is typically: What happens now? "This can be a starting point for conversations between doctor, patient and family about the pros and cons of treatments, so that they can come to an appropriate decision together," van der Flier said in a medical center news release. The findings were published July 10 in the journal . While the predictions are not 100% accurate, the model does indicate how the disease stands to progress over a five-year period, researchers said.
They have made a prototype ap.
