FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ON November 01, 2006
AAN Experts Available to Speak on Winter Sports Concussion, Alzheimer's Disease, and Epilepsy
ST. PAUL, Minn -
Media Contacts: Angela Babb, (651) 695-2789, ababb@aan.com Robin Stinnett, (651) 695-2763, rstinnett@aan.com ***MEDIA ADVISORY*** AAN Experts Available to Speak on Winter Sports Concussion, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Epilepsy Winter Sports Concussion/Head Injury – Winter sports, such as skiing and ice-skating, account for an estimated 20,000 of the 300,000 brain injuries each year. Brain injury is a major cause of death and disability for children and adults. More children in the United States die of brain injury than any other cause. Contact: James Kelly, MD, Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology Phone: (303) 315-5755 Email: James.Kelly@UCHSC.edu November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month – About four million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease. An estimated 360,000 people are diagnosed with the disorder each year. Because people are living longer, age is clearly the major risk factor. The disorder claims more than 100,000 lives per year. It is the fourth leading cause of death for adults. Contact: Christopher M. Filley, MD, Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology Phone: (303) 315-6461 November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month – Anyone can have epilepsy. It can start at any age. In the United States, it affects about one in 100 people, or around 2.9 million Americans. Another 300,000 people develop the disorder each year. Forty percent of those people are children under age 18. Worldwide, more than 50 million people have been diagnosed with the disorder. It is not contagious and it is not a mental illness. Contact: Mark Spitz, MD, Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology Pager: (303) 266-7209