Corticobasal Syndrome (CBS) is a Prime of Life Brain Disease.  Corticobasal Syndrome is the clinical diagnosis of Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD), which is finalized at autopsy.  CBS was believed to have no known cause but is now recognized as Agent Orange presumptive.  Agent Orange and other herbicides were used in the Vietnam War and in other locations.  CBS has no known treatment or cure; symptoms are managed with various medications.  It affects nerve cells that control walking, balance, mobility, vision, speech, and swallowing.  It is terminal, and the life expectancy is 6-8 years.  Don is in year eight, and time is of the essence.

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Corticobasal Syntome (CBS) Definition

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Corticobasal Syndrome (CBS) is a progressive brain disease listed with no known cause or cure.  It affects areas of the brain controlling limb movement, speech, and other movement functions.  CBS is rare, affecting an estimated 2,000-3,000 people in the United States, of whom only 500-700 are diagnosed.  Symptoms begin, on average, when an individual is in their early 60s but may start as early as in their 40s.  These include:

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Stiffness, shakiness, jerkiness, slowness, and clumsiness in either the upper or lower extremities

Difficulty with speech generation (aphasia)

Difficulty with swallowing (dysphasia)

Difficulty with articulation (dyspraxia)

Difficulty controlling the muscles of the face and mouth (dysarthria)

Walking and balance difficulty

Asymmetric onset of symptoms (occurring on one side of the body first, then gradually moving to the other side)

Memory or behavior problems

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https://www.psp.org.iwanttolearn/corticobasal-degeneration

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Corticobasal Syndrome (CBS) is considered a tauopathy.  The neurodegenerative symptoms are due to the abnormal misfolding and clumping of the tau protein within neurons, which causes progressive cell death.  It is called a 4-repeat tauopathy (4-R tau).

 

The following statistics are for people in the United States dealing with neurodegenerative diseases:

Alzheimer's disease affects about 5.8 million

Parkinson's affects about 1 million

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) is a rare disease and affects about 5 or 6 per 100,000

Corticobasal Syndrome (CBS) is very rare, with about five people per million.  There has not been a proper study, but CBS is believed to affect about 10% of the rate of PSP.

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There are billions of dollars to be made for a pharmaceutical company that offers treatment for Alzheimer's Disease.  However, do we as Americans, value the sacrifice made by our veterans?  Will we actively invest in possible treatment for them?

 

 

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