(Yicai) Oct. 26 -- A 31-year-old Chinese woman with Alzheimer’s disease has become the world’s youngest AD patient to being an innovative antibody treatment at Ruijin Hainan Hospital, affiliated with the School of Medicine of Shanghai Jiaotong University based in the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in southernmost China's Hainan province.

The patient, affected by familial early-onset Alzheimer's disease with Psen1 mutation, a very rare form of AD that affects only 1 percent of the world's AD patients, has been receiving disease-modifying treatment Aducanumab, which needs to be administered intravenously once a month for 12 months, Shine reported on Oct. 24, citing experts.

Aducanumab is a monoclonal IgG1 antibody that binds to amyloid-β (Aβ), reducing amyloid plaques, the main factor causing AD. It was approved for marketing in the United States in 2021, becoming the first AD treatment to be greenlit by the US Food and Drug Administration since 2003. Aducanumab was introduced in China by Ruijin Hainan Hospital at the end of last year.

"She is a patient with high awareness, which is extremely important for AD prevention and control, as proper medication, rehabilitation, and intervention measures can slow down the development of the disease," said Wang Gang, the patient's neurologist.

"Clinical studies and practices made a breakthrough with drugs like anti-Aβ monoclonal antibodies, which can facilitate Aβ clearance from the brain, potentially reducing the deleterious effects of Aβ and hence slowing the cognitive decline," Wang noted.

AD usually affects people aged 65 or above, but the number of younger patients has recently increased. Since 2021, AD has become one of the top five causes of death, given the aging population. EOAD, the same form of AD as the 31-year-old woman, accounts for about 5 percent to 10 percent of the total number of AD cases.

Early diagnosis and treatment could slow down Alzheimer's disease deterioration.

Ruijin Hainan Hospital has been actively involved in AD screening, prevention, and treatment and promoting knowledge on AD to raise public awareness, Wang said.

Formed in 2013, the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone is China's only medical pilot zone. It has more than 20 hospitals.

Editor: Futura Costaglione