Alzheimer’s disease

Last month Chinese National health commission has called off the LVA (Lymphaticovenous Anastomosis) of treating Alzheimer’s disease. (Authorities ban use of LVA surgery to treat Alzheimer’s) https://epaper.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202507/11/WS68705d17a31072f9198f3d8c.html

It hits me because my aunt has received this surgery three months ago.

She was diagnosed as AD on 2022 after she caught COVID-19, after one weeks fever her brain breaks down, she forgot how to walk, how to talk or how to take care of herself anymore.

It was so sad, my uncle love her so much, but she didn’t recognise him anymore. He tried so hard to help her to fight against the desperate disease. Chinese medicine, Acupuncture, physicial training. He hired two nanny for her, taking care of her daily life. He was happy by any progress she made, simile to him, occasionally one word, better emotion express, but we all know that she can never comes back.

One day my uncle told us “Your aunt will receive a new technology, LVA surgery, which might help her”

So I digged this surgery a little bit, it “potentially reducing the accumulation of harmful proteins in the brain.” Before any published evidence, until end of June 2025, over 382 hospitals in China applied this kind of treatment for over 1,000 patients within 1 year.

It is an “easy” surgery, it charges about 3k-30k USD for each patient, brings significant money to the hospital/department who is willing to do this treatment.

Alzheimer’s is still a disease that is not fully understood by humans, and the basic cause is still unknown. Unfortunately I don’t think LVA surgery is the simple answer for AD, and I am appreciate the Health Commission stopped this surgery for now. Since I saw people desperately need a solution, even it is a fake hope.

Some doctors has published paper (Chen JY, et al. Deep cervical lymphovenous anastomosis (LVA) for Alzheimer’s disease: microsurgical procedure in a prospective cohort study. Int J Surg. 2025 Jul 1;111(7):4211-4221. doi: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000002490. Epub 2025 May 20. PMID: 40391969.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40391969/

Seems doctors are cautious optimism about this technology. However Chinese people usually don’t write artcle saying “I’m not think it would work.”

So let’s wait and see how things would go in next few months.