Dr. Hamid Okhravi, EVMS Geriatrics, was introduced by Rotarian of the Day, Jay Kossman. Dr. Okhravi shared recent developments related to Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive disorders.

 

He gave a comprehensive overview of geriatrics studies including normal aging vs. dementia; Alzheimer’s disease; treatment strategies - symptomatic vs. disease modifying; recent FDA-approved mediation Aducanumab and the Lecanemab prevention trails – AHEAD Study; and future of clinical trials and clinical practices.

 

Dr. Okhravi shared how normal aging and dementia compare. With normal aging you might make a bad decision once in a while, you might miss a monthly payment or forget which day of the week it is but then remember it later, you might forget which word to use, and you might occasionally lose things. With Dementia, you’ll have poor judgement and decision making abilities and be unable to manage budget or handle finances, you lose track of the day of the week or the season, have difficulties with normal conversations, and displace or lose items frequently.

 

He shared the different types of Dementia including Alzheimer’s disease and the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease pathology with the focus on Amyloid plaques: Amyloid deposition.  New, promising, clinical trials - Emerge & Engage Aducanumab and the Lecanemab treatment shows progress in slowing down cognitive decline resulting in the FDAs approval with “Accelerated Approval” designation. Full approval should take place in 9-12 months, the cost is steep at $26,500 per year. It is unclear if Medicare will cover the cost of this treatment especially with 1 in 4 or 1 in 5 Alzheimer Disease patients in the general population (1.5 million) that would be eligible for this treatment. The Disease-modifying therapies such as Lecanemab and other anti-amyloid immunotherapies shows the average slowing rate of 30% – this may be the most we can achieve with amyloid removal alone in a symptomatic population. Dr. Okhravi said in order to achieve a bigger impact we need to explore anti-amyloid drugs before symptoms appear.

 

The AHEAD Study tests whether intervening ahead of symptoms may help prevent future memory loss and dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease. It’s testing whether the new treatment delays memory decline in people up to 20 years before they show symptoms. His team has handout regarding the study and who is eligible to participate in this study.

In closing, Dr. Okhravi shared the path for future screening and therapeutics for AD prevention, like the AHEAD Study.

 

Club Business 

Lorna gave a heartfelt overview of why she loves Rotary. She had everyone on their feet in applause. She said with so much sadness lately, Rotarians are propellers of love, her self-esteem is raised. The good that is done through the Food Bank, fundraisers, books given to libraries, the Hunt-Y, plus amazing tours of the community like to the International Terminals and more. “What I love about Rotary – I KNOW GOOD PEOPLE, WHO DO GOOD THINGS!”

 

“The Empowering Girls initiative is a club- and district-level service opportunity,” Usovicz notes. “The primary role of the task force is to develop a framework and resources that enhance the ability of Rotary and Rotaract club members and leaders, as well as district leaders, to participate in and promote service projects that focus on the health, education, safety, well-being, and economic development of the girls of our world.”