Doyle and Star Scott follow the same routine every other Wednesday. “I’m here to get my IV infusion,” Doyle announces as he approaches the counter behind the emergency room door at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines. Just as they have done against all odds for the past 44 years, the Scotts walk down the halls of Broadlawns together. Once inside their assigned room, Doyle sits down in a blue chair while a nurse prepares him for his treatment. It’s his 16th infusion since he was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment 18 months ago. “It might feel a little cold,” Doyle says of the Lukembi infusion. “Yeah, you feel it, especially at first, but then you don’t feel anything.” What is Lukembi? According to the Associated Press, the Food and Drug Administration gave full approval to Lukembi last summer for patients in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. It was the first drug on the U.S. market proven to slow the progression of the disease. More than six million people in the United States and millions worldwide have Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia. While there is no cure, Leqembi is said to remove sticky brain proteins called amyloid, a key indicator of the disease. Studies have shown that when given to people with mild symptoms, it can slow the progression of the disease for months. Some experts say the delay may be so subtle that patients don’t notice. Starr was the first to notice her husband’s symptoms. “I’ve struggled so much because there is no cure,” she says. “We both had cancer. We got through it. I want to fix things. That’s my personality. I want to make things better.” Doyle is one of only eight people receiving Leqembi at Broadlawns in Des Moines. CNN reports that the biggest safety concern for Leqembi is the swelling and bleeding in the brain known as amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), which are typically seen on MRIs. “Thankfully, all eight are doing well and have no major side effects,” said Dr. Yogesh Shah of Broadlawns. KCCI’s Social Media:Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | TwitterBroadlawns plans to add another new drug called Kisunla. Earlier this month, the FDA approved Kisunla, another amyloid plaque-targeted treatment that can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s. Broadlawns plans to add it to its arsenal by the fall and treat more patients. Shah has worked in memory care for more than 25 years. “And for the first time, I feel like there’s real hope,” he says. » Download the free KCCI app to get the latest news on the go: Apple | Google PlayGet the latest headlines from KCCIEarly detection is keyHope comes with a warning label. Shah says the disease needs to be detected early to take either drug. “If you’re over 60 and you’re not functioning as well as you used to, you’re forgetting things more, memory problems are affecting your work, don’t wait to get tested,” Shah said. One of the newest ways to detect early is through blood testing. “We now have blood tests called plasma biomarkers that look for and detect proteins that are happening in the brain 10 to 15 years before memory problems occur,” Shah said. As a retired continuing education educator, Doyle has two lessons he wants readers to take away from his story: early detection. don’t wait. and know there is hope. “That’s what gives meaning to all of this,” Doyle Scott said. “People are going to live longer. They’re going to live better lives.” Because Doyle, a father of five, is not only fighting for his future, but for his children’s future. Shah said Broadlawns can get a blood test at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. It costs about $250 and can be covered by insurance. He recommends consulting your doctor first. This article used information from the Associated Press.
Doyle and Star Scott perform the same routine every other Wednesday.
“I’m here to get an IV,” Doyle announced as he approached the counter behind the emergency room doors at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines.
The Scotts walk the hallways of Broadlawn Hospital together, just as they have done against all odds for the past 44 years. As they enter his assigned room, Doyle sits in a blue chair while a nurse prepares him for his treatment — his 16th infusion since he was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment 18 months ago.
“It might feel a little cold,” Doyle says of the Lukembi injection, “Yeah, especially at first, but after that you don’t feel anything.”
What is Leqembi?
The Food and Drug Administration gave full approval to Lukemvy last summer for people with the early stages of Alzheimer’s, making it the first drug on the U.S. market proven to slow the progression of the disease, according to the Associated Press.
More than six million Americans and millions more worldwide have Alzheimer’s, the most common cause of dementia. There is no cure, but Lukembi is said to remove a sticky brain protein called amyloid, a key indicator of the disease.
Studies have shown that when given to people with mild symptoms, it can slow the progression of the disease by several months, though some experts say the delay may be so subtle that patients don’t even notice.
Starr was the first to notice her husband’s symptoms.
“It’s been a struggle because there’s no cure,” she said. “We’ve both had cancer and we’ve overcome it. I want to fix things. That’s my personality. I want to make things better.”
Doyle is one of only eight people receiving Requenbi therapy at Broadlawns in Des Moines.
CNN reports: The biggest safety concern with Leqembi is brain swelling and bleeding called amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), which are typically seen on MRIs.
“Fortunately, all eight are recovering well and have no major side effects,” Dr Yogesh Shah of Broadlawn Hospital said.
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BroadLawns plans to add new drug Xanla
Earlier this month, the FDA approved Xanthra, another amyloid plaque-targeting treatment that can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Broadlawns plans to add the therapy to its arsenal by the fall and treat more patients. Shah has worked in memory care for more than 25 years.
“And for the first time, I feel like there’s real hope,” he said.
» Download the free KCCI app to stay up to date on the go. apple | Google Play
Early detection is key
That hope comes with a warning label: Shah says that for either drug to be effective, the disease must be detected at an early stage.
“If you’re over 60 and you’re not functioning as well as you used to, you’re forgetting things more, or your memory problems are affecting your work, don’t wait — get tested,” Shah says.
One of the newest methods of early detection is a blood test.
“What’s new now is that there are blood tests called plasma biomarkers that can look at and detect proteins that are happening in the brain 10 to 15 years before memory changes occur,” Shah said.
As a retired lifelong educator, Doyle hopes readers take away two lessons from his story: act early, don’t wait, and know there is hope.
“That’s what this is all about to me,” Doyle-Scott said. “People will live longer. People will live better lives.”
Because as a father of five, Doyle is not only fighting for his own future, but for the future of his children.
Shah said Broadlawns could get a blood test done at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, which would cost about $250 and could be covered by insurance, but he recommended talking to your doctor first.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.
