AUTHOR=Hodes John F. , Oakley Carlee I. , O'Keefe James H. , Lu Peilin , Galvin James E. , Saif Nabeel , Bellara Sonia , Rahman Aneela , Kaufman Yakir , Hristov Hollie , Rajji Tarek K. , Fosnacht Morgan Anne Marie , Patel Smita , Merrill David A. , Kaiser Scott , Meléndez-Cabrero Josefina , Melendez Juan A. , Krikorian Robert , Isaacson Richard S. 

TITLE=Alzheimer's “Prevention” vs. “Risk Reduction”: Transcending Semantics for Clinical Practice

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2018.01179

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2018.01179

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=<p>The terms “prevention” and “risk reduction” are often used interchangeably in medicine. There is considerable debate, however, over the use of these terms in describing interventions that aim to <italic>preserve cognitive health</italic> and/or <italic>delay disease progression</italic> of Alzheimer's disease (AD) for patients seeking clinical care. Furthermore, it is important to distinguish between Alzheimer's <italic>disease</italic> prevention and Alzheimer's <italic>dementia</italic> prevention when using these terms. While prior studies have codified research-based criteria for the progressive stages of AD, there are no clear clinical consensus criteria to guide the use of these terms for physicians in practice. A clear understanding of the implications of each term will help guide clinical practice and clinical research. The authors explore the semantics and appropriate use of the terms “prevention” and “risk reduction” as they relate to AD in clinical practice.</p>