Alzheimer's Stigma a Barrier to Prevention, Care

A survey published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association determined stigma associated with Alzheimer's disease may discourage Americans from learning about their risk and from participating in clinical trials for potential new treatments, reports HealthDay News . Researchers gave a random sample of 317 adults a hypothetical description of someone with mild cognitive impairment or dementia from Alzheimer's, and told them the person's condition would worsen, improve, or stay the same. Fifty-five percent of respondents expected the subject would be discriminated against by employers and excluded from medical decision-making, and 47 percent thought data in the individual's medical records would lead to limits on their health insurance. Those numbers climbed when respondents were told that the person's condition would worsen over time; and when they were told the subject would improve, 24 percent to 41 percent fewer respondents said they expected discrimination or exclusion from medical decisions. "Concerns about discrimination and overly harsh judgments about the severity of symptoms were most prevalent," says the University of Pennsylvania's Shana Stites. The survey implied that advances in therapies to improve the prognosis of people with Alzheimer's could help reduce stigma. "By understanding what the biggest concerns are about the disease, we can help develop programs and policies to reduce the stigma," Stites says.