Due to the aging population in developed countries and the increasing life expectancy in emerging ones, the number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other types of dementia is on the rise. Because the number of diagnosed cases is also increasing, physicians are in need of a diagnostic process that is quick, accurate and that can find the disease in its early stages in order to improve the quality of life of those who suffer it. There is also a need of finding better treatment options based on solid research that has standardized and cost-effective methods.
In order to support the diagnostic process, artificial intelligence (AI) has been proven useful in multiple published research, including its application to the imaging of the brain, under which Quantib® ND falls.
Because of its outputs and export features, Quantib® ND will be used as a tool for uniform and objective diagnosis in a regional Italian network project that will also conduct scientific research in the medical, biomedical, and epidemiological fields connected to Dementia.
This project is an executive part of the Italian National Dementia Plan which is looking to implement strategies to promote and improve the quality and appropriateness of care interventions in the field of dementia, including the reorganization of regional Alzheimer’s Assessment Units (U.V.A.) into Centers for Cognitive Disorders and Dementias (CDCD), Specialized Diagnostic Centers and Centers for Cognitive Disorders and Dementia (CDCD).
The project, led in the Lazio region by the UO Geriatrics of Sant’ Eugenio Hospital and ASL Roma2, also consists of creation of a registry, that will be divided by different forms of dementia, based on the collection of master and health data of people with Alzheimer-Perusini or other forms of dementia, with the purpose of improving planning, management, monitoring and evaluation of the patient care.
In essence, it is time to work towards illuminating the darkness of AD.