How long does Alzheimer's disease last on average?
Dr. Maurizio Grimaldi
Maurizio Grimaldi, MD, PhD
The sporadic form of Alzheimer’s disease on average, given the state of good supportive care, can last from 5 to 20 years. The average, calculated by the Alzheimer’s Association, is around 8 to 12 years.
In general, there is a phase in which learning and memory performance is mildly compromised. This stage can last as short as few months or as long as a few years. This phase transitions into the next, consisting of severe fading of learning and memory capability that develops over the course of a few years.
Finally, the patient with a fully developed clinical picture of the disease falls into a state in which the sense of self is lost. The familiar, although rare, early onset form of the disease rapidly progresses and rarely the patient survives 8 years from the diagnosis.
Maurizio Grimaldi, MD, Ph.D. is the Leader of the Neuropharmacology/neuroscience Laboratory at Southern Research Institute in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Grimaldi graduated from medical school magna cum laude from the University of Napoli in Italy, one of the oldest and most prestigious academic institutions in Italy. Specializing in clinical pharmacology, Dr. Grimaldi obtained his PhD in neuropharmacology and toxicology from the same University. At Southern Research Dr. Grimaldi directs the laboratory of neuropharmacology where he conducts researches on brain physiology and on novel treatment agents for CNS diseases such as Alzheimer’s and brain tumors. Dr. Grimaldi also directs the commercial activities for the Neuropharmacology Laboratory at Southern Research, including low-throughput screening. He is co-investigator in the NIH-NINDS Drug Screening for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Stroke. In this capacity, he supervises assay transfer from submitting investigators to the high-throughput screening facility. Visit him at www.SouthernResearch.com.