CAIDE Looks into the Future: New App from Merz Pharmaceuticals Assesses the Risk of Getting Dementia Within the Next 20 Years

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany, August 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

The CAIDE Dementia Risk App from Merz Pharmaceuticals is available free of charge for people from 40 to 65 to calculate their individual risk for getting dementia within the next two decades. Using a traffic light color scheme, the App can also help physicians discuss preventive measures with patients at risk.

The new "CAIDE Dementia Risk App (Cardiovascular risk factors, Aging and Incidence of DEmentia) has been developed in collaboration with Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and is available in the App Store for a free download. The CAIDE App may be used on an iPhone or iPad and comes in two versions: one for physicians and one for individuals. It is available in five languages: German, French, Spanish, Russian, and English as default.

CAIDE supports prevention of dementia 

After entering gender, date of birth, height and weight, cholesterol level, blood pressure, physical activity and years of education the App calculates the risk of getting dementia within the next 20 years. If the risk is in the normal range an orange bar appears. The bar is green if the risk is lower and red if it is higher than average. Then the physician should discuss preventive lifestyle interventions.

Professor Miia Kivipelto who has done the research (1,2) on which the App is based says: "The biggest risk factor for developing dementia is advanced age. Large epidemiological studies have demonstrated that what is good for the heart is good for the brain - in other words, a healthy lifestyle with physical activity, low blood cholesterol levels, not being obese, and having normal blood pressure at midlife protects not only against cardiac disease, but also against dementia."

More information about Merz on http://www.merz.com.

1. Kivipelto M et al.; Lancet Neurol 2006;5:735-41
2. Sindi et al. Poster presented at the 13th Geneva /Springfield Symposium, March 2014

Pressekontakt:
Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH
Dr. Elisabeth Calov
Tel: +49-(0)69-1503-8428
E-mail: elisabeth.calov@merz.de