Help Researchers Learn More about Preventing Dementia, Disability, and Disease

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If you’re age 75 or older, you should know about PREVENTABLE.

PREVENTABLE – the Pragmatic Evaluation of events And Benefits of Lipid-lowering – is a clinical trial to help researchers understand if taking a statin, a drug commonly used to lower cholesterol in younger adults, is helpful for older adults, specifically when it comes to maintaining health by preventing dementia, disability, and heart disease.

“We really don’t know how these drugs work in older adults,” according to the research team at UT Health San Antonio, including Dr. Sara Espinoza, principal investigator for the local study site. “Most, if not all, of the studies of statins have been done in much younger people, in their 50s and 60s, but studies in adults over 75 are rare.”

The national study is actively recruiting Latinos and people from all racial/ethnic groups across the country, including Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Iowa, and others.

Learn more about this study, what it entails, and how you can participate!

What is the Purpose of the PREVENTABLE Study?

Clinical trials are studies with volunteers that help researchers learn how to slow, manage, and treat different diseases.

In the PREVENTABLE clinical trial, volunteers will receive either atorvastatin, also called Lipitor®, or placebo. The placebo looks like the study drug but has no medicine in it.

Researchers will follow volunteers for up to five years and test their memory, thinking, and physical abilities, and monitor them for events such as heart attacks or strokes.

Participation for the clinical trial will include:

  • Medical history
  • Physical performance
  • Blood tests
  • Gait speed
  • Memory test
  • Questionnaires
  • Telephone follow-ups

The clinical study will consist of seven study visits (1-2 in-person visits and 5-6 telephone follow-ups) over the course of approximately 3.5 to 5 years.

Volunteers will also be compensated $25 for each in-person visit.

Who Qualified for the PREVENTABLE Study?

Interested participants must be age 75 or older and live in community-dwelling units, not in assisted living units or nursing homes.

Senior woman exercising.

This clinical study would not be suitable for individuals that:

  • Have had a heart disease (heart attack or stroke)
  • Have dementia
  • Have a significant disability that limits your basic everyday activities
  • Are using a statin

Participants who have diabetes and mild cognitive impairment are eligible.

In addition to learning whether statins can prolong health in older adults, the PREVENTABLE study will help clarify which older adults should not be taking statins, according to the research team.

“Participants don’t have to have a history of high cholesterol,” according to the research team. “This study is conducted to see if this medicine, regardless of cholesterol level, is able to improve cognition and brain function, prevent dementia, improve physical function, and prevent cardiovascular disease and strokes.”

How Can You Volunteer for PREVENTABLE in San Antonio?

Across the nation, PREVENTABLE is enrolling 20,000 adults.

Researchers are hoping to enroll 450 adults from San Antonio, Texas, through the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at UT Health San Antonio at 4939 Charles Katz Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229.

For more information about the clinical study, call (210) 450-0020.

Those interested in being contacted about the study can fill out a contact form here.

Finding a Clinical Trial That’s Right for You

Latinos make up a large part of the population in the United States, representing 18.9% of the nation’s population. However, very few participate in clinical trials.

This can be for many reasons, including distrust of clinical studies and lack of access.

But why is clinical trial participation important?

“Cancer hurts many of our abuelos, moms, dads, and others we love. Clinical trials help us fight for our familia,” said Dr. Patricia Chalela, associate professor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. “Latinos who volunteer in clinical trials are helping themselves. And they’re also building a future with better treatments that can help their families in the years to come.”

How can you find the right clinical trial?

Look no further than the Salud America! clinical trials page!

Learn more about clinical studies that are actively recruiting. You can also read more about real heroes who have participated in clinical trials, like Leonel Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2019.

After a previous treatment had failed, Rodriguez learned of the potential benefits of participating in a clinical trial.

“[Clinical trials were] the best way because, you know, I feel good now with the treatment,” Rodriguez said. “Now I feel I’ve been feeling well, and well, well.”

Find a clinical trial that is best fit for you and your familia!

FIND A CLINICAL TRIAL!

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