Data suggest a shift in the approach to Alzheimer’s disease prevention and treatment is warranted

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is affecting millions of aging people in the USA and around the world. Especially in the USA, intense efforts have been directed towards developing drugs that might address the Amyloid Hypothesis. But these efforts have proved to be disappointing, with poor efficacy and serious side effects. Moreover, questions continue to be raised regarding the validity of key published data. This approach has largely undervalued the possible contribution of vasoconstriction and hypertension to AD onset and progression. There are many safe drugs currently used to treat hypertension, but their possible relevance to prevent or treat AD has received little attention. There are data in medical records and in clinical trials already documented that indicate vasodilator drugs might have a preventive or even therapeutic role in treating AD. If cheap, already approved drugs were shown to be effective, the implications for healthcare costs could be enormous.