LANGHORNE, PA — Amplity Health, a leading Contract Sales and Medical Outsourcing Partner, unveiled insights into the profound impact of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) on patients’ quality of life. The findings were presented at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) 2024 conference in Atlanta, GA, marking a critical step in understanding the multifaceted challenges faced by individuals living with this debilitating condition.
Titled “Clinical and Humanistic Burden Associated With Alzheimer’s Disease in the United States: An Analysis of Patient Characteristics, Treatment Patterns, and Quality of Life Using a Physician Notes Real-World Database,” the study leverages the Amplity Health Insights™ Real-World Database. Through the application of natural language processing, researchers analyzed over 60 million electronic medical records from nearly 120,000 healthcare providers across 40,000 care sites in the United States.
The study identified 144,687 patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease between January 2003 and December 2024, revealing a stark portrait of their struggles. Notably, the vast majority of these patients suffer from comorbidities, with cardiovascular issues present in 83%, metabolic conditions in 52%, and psychiatric disorders in 28% of cases. Symptoms such as depression (37%), anxiety (26%), aggression (21%), cognitive impairment (21%), and confusion (20%) were frequently observed, underscoring the complex nature of AD beyond memory loss.
Dave Iwanyckyj, an Amplity Health Insights executive and study author, emphasized the broader implications of these findings. “Patients with AD suffer psychological symptoms years in advance of diagnosis and continue to experience these symptoms throughout their AD journey at higher rates post-diagnosis relative to the core disease symptoms,” he noted. This observation points to a significant quality-of-life burden that extends not only to the patients themselves but also to their caregivers, often overlooked in the clinical narrative surrounding Alzheimer’s disease.
Chris Baker, CEO of Amplity Health, highlighted the study’s potential to influence future care strategies. “By examining raw qualitative physician records, we can track how patients’ symptoms evolve alongside clinical decision-making in real-world practice,” Baker stated. The goal is to use these data to pinpoint barriers to accessing biomarker evaluations in Alzheimer’s disease and to uncover opportunities to enhance care for a diverse range of patient populations.
This groundbreaking study by Amplity Health offers a new lens through which the medical and research communities can approach Alzheimer’s disease. By digging deeper into the real-world experiences of patients and the clinical decisions that shape their care, there are hopes to improve outcomes and quality of life for those impacted by AD. The emphasis on the humanistic burden of Alzheimer’s, in addition to its clinical manifestations, calls for a more holistic approach to treatment and support, advocating for interventions that address the physical, psychological, and social dimensions of living with this condition.
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