Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Improves Alzheimer's Patient

For five years, the 58-year-old woman diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease had experienced slipping mental abilities, a decline that was beginning to accelerate.

"Think of it like a straitjacket that gets tighter and tighter," said Molly Fogel, director of educational and social services for the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

But for this particular patient, one of 5.7 million Americans who suffer from Alzheimer's disease, the straitjacket is looser following treatment with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Dr. Paul Harch, a clinical professor and director of hyperbaric medicine at the LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, and Dr. Edward Fogarty, of the University of North Dakota School of Medicine, have outlined her hopeful case in a report published in the peer-reviewed journal Medical Gas Research.

After 66 days of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the woman regained some of what the disease had stolen from her. Her memory and concentration improved, as did her ability to do crossword puzzles and use the computer.

But the case study goes beyond what the patient reported about her symptoms or her performance on tests, like drawing the face of a clock. The study shows visible improvement of her brain itself on PET scans taken before and after the treatment.



The result is images that Harch said a third-grader could look at and say: "That patient looks better."

"We demonstrated the largest improvement in brain metabolism of any therapy for Alzheimer's disease," said Harch, who described metabolism as the gas that makes an engine go.

The PET scans taken a month after the treatment showed a global improvement in brain metabolism of 6.5 percent to 38 percent, according to the study.

"HBOT in this patient may be the first treatment not only to halt but temporarily reverse disease progression in Alzheimer's disease," Harch said.

That would be a significant development for a disease that is considered irreversible. Alzheimer's disease affects 5.5 million Americans over age 65 and 200,000 who are younger, like the patient in Harch's study. The most common form of dementia, it is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health.

It's also on the increase, according to the Alzheimer's Association, with deaths from the disease increasing 123 percent from 2000 to 2015. By 2050, the association said, the number of cases is expected to reach nearly 14 million.

The Advocate
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