THURSDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2005 12:00 AM

Alzheimer's research promising
Disease struck Campbell early

BY HOLLY AUER
The Post and Courier
Alzheimer's disease struck former South Carolina Gov. Carroll Campbell at 61, earlier than most sufferers of the disease. Until a heart attack claimed Campbell's life on Wednesday at the age of 65, he battled the disease along with a growing legion of Americans at a time when research on it is more promising than ever.

Marked by a slow-moving descent into a haze of confusion, Alzheimer's often leaves its sufferers too ill to be cared for at home. But work on a vaccine and new applications for older drugs now seem to offer people diagnosed with Alzheimer's a chance to continue living productively for longer.

"There's a lot going on, and there's every reason to be optimistic," said Dr. David Bachman, a Medical University of South Carolina professor of neurology and co-director of the university's Alzheimer's Clinical Research Program.

Striking mainly those over 65, Alzheimer's afflicts about 4 million people in the United States, but the National Institutes of Health estimates that with increasing life expectancies, more than 13 million people will have the disease by 2050.

Twenty years ago, research papers on Alzheimer's had little to say about how to treat the disease, but that's changing as doctors learn more about what causes it and how to alter brain chemistry to slow its devastating creep.

Scientists now believe that a protein called beta amyloid is the root cause of Alzheimer's. The protein is present in everyone's brain, but Alzheimer's patients appear to accumulate too much of it, Bachman said. Over time, the amyloid plaques break down connections between certain nerve cells in the brain - and eventually, kill off the cells altogether - leading to memory and cognitive deficits.

Alzheimer's drugs available today often are effective at stalling the disease's progression, but only 15 percent to 20 percent of patients actually improve, Bachman said. Drugs and a vaccine in the research pipeline, including a drug trial at MUSC, aim to tackle beta amyloid directly by acting on the enzymes that produce it.

MUSC officials said the Campbell family has been "very supportive" of their Alzheimer's research over the years. Patient participation in clinical research trials, Bachman said, will be a key to discovering new treatments, especially for minority groups that are disproportionately stricken by the disease.

Campbell limited his public appearances following the announcement of his diagnosis in 2001, so it's unclear how the disease manifested itself in the former governor. Studies don't show any link between Alzheimer's and heart attacks, however, Bachman said.

Alzheimer's symptoms often begin with what seems to be routine forgetfulness, like misplacing car keys or glasses, but progress to a near total loss of mental function.

In the latter stages of the disease, patients sometimes don't recognize their spouses or children, and they may believe they're living in a different time or place.

Alzheimer's toll on the mind also extends to the body, often leaving patients unable to walk, speak or swallow. But since the disease generally takes eight to 10 years to progress, people who are diagnosed later in life tend to die of other causes.

Campbell moved into a Alzheimer's care facility named for him at Lexington Medical Center in August. Family friends reported he was able to enjoy Thanksgiving at home with his family last month.

Contact Holly Auer at 937-5560 or hauer@postandcourier.com.

This article was printed via the web on 12/14/2005 2:28:46 PM . This article
appeared in The Post and Courier and updated online at Charleston.net on Thursday, December 08, 2005.