Assisted dying in Alzheimer's disease: the Dutch experience

摘要

According to a report recently released by the Dutch regional euthanasia review committees, there were 1886 reported cases of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia in 2004- Of these cases, 63 were patients with nervous-system diseases and one case highlighted in the report was that of a patient with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The patient, a 65 year old man who had AD for 3 years, had made it clear to his physician from the start of his illness that he did not want to live out the full course of the disease. For this patient, the prospect of further decline and inability to function independently was the cause of great anguish and suffering.