Expert: Paula Damgaard - 1/9/2012

Question
Paula, Alzheimer's disease runs on my mother's side of our family. Almost 100% have died from it. My 78 yr old mother has it. I am 55 yrs old and expect to get it, but would like to do what I can to at least delay it. My daughter, who is in nursing school, recently read that studies have shown some benefit from aspirin and Advil if taken 4 yrs before onset of symptoms. I already take low dose aspirin for cardiovascular health. Is there a low dose Advil I can also take or would that be too much for system? Thanks for your time.

Answer
Hi Ed,
I can bet you that if your daughter did a bit more research she would find an equal number of articles against the Advil. At least daily doses. It is too rough on stomachs. Also with you taking the ASA you might really put yourself at risk of bleeding. And bleeding isn't just in the stomach. You could get bleeds in your head giving you strokes.

The best defense for you right now is a heart healthy diet, exercise, etc. All the things we hear everyday. The second thing you should absolutely do is find out about having an autopsy on your mom when she dies. I know that you say all of your relatives have it, but without autopsies you cannot be 100% for sure. There are many dementias and we are finding more all the time. Treatments may evolve to be able to treat certain ones. With the autopsy you will be able to get in line for treatment because you have documented evidence of family history.

I will tell you that you will have to get behind me cause I have my mom's autopsy! Let's hope they find something to help all of us!

Hope this helps! I hope your daughter goes into geriatric nursing. It is a huge field that will only grow as we age. Good luck to her.

Paula