Palmer Alan M
Pharmidex, 72 New Bond Street, W1S 1RR, London, UK.
Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2002 Sep;23(9):426-33. doi: 10.1016/s0165-6147(02)02056-4.
The number of people with Alzheimer's disease has never been greater and is set to increase substantially in the decades ahead as the proportion of the population aged 65 years or more rises sharply. There is, therefore, a substantial and increasing need for effective pharmacotherapy. Increased understanding of disease pathophysiology has led to palliative treatments for both cognitive and non-cognitive changes in behaviour. This, together with the prospect of drugs that slow or perhaps even halt the course of the disease, raises hope that this devastating disorder will soon be more amenable to pharmacotherapy with new drugs that either ameliorate specific symptoms or alter the course of the disease.
患有阿尔茨海默病的人数从未如此之多，并且随着65岁及以上人口比例急剧上升，预计在未来几十年还会大幅增加。因此，对有效药物治疗的需求巨大且不断增长。对疾病病理生理学的深入了解已带来针对行为认知和非认知变化的姑息治疗。这一点，再加上有药物可能减缓甚至阻止疾病进程的前景，让人燃起希望，即这种毁灭性疾病很快会更易于用新药进行药物治疗，这些新药要么能改善特定症状，要么能改变疾病进程。
