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Causes of
Alzheimer’s |
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Alzheimer’s disease is a complex brain disorder that results
in the gradual degeneration of most of the mental functions of an affected
person as well as his physical abilities in the long run. Much of the
research on this degenerative disease is focused on identifying the causes
of Alzheimer’s. There are many theories. Below are some of them:
The Age Factor
The number one risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is age. This is because
it has frequently been observed that the illness often develops in persons
who are older or around 65 to 80 years. There are instances where symptoms
could appear at an age lower than 65 but these are often isolated and rare
cases. As such, many scientists surmise that age might just be one of the
causes of Alzheimer’s, or at the very least a huge contributing factor.
A percentage of Alzheimer’s risk that people get at a certain age are as
follows:
* 1.5% - at age 65-70
* 3.5% - at age 70-74
* 6.8% - at age 75-79
Genetic Make Up
Next to age, another area that is currently under intense investigation is
the genetic make up of a person. Often, a look at the medical history of a
patient’s family helps prove that genes may have something to do with the
development of the disease, if it is not one of the causes of Alzheimer’s
itself.
Experts agree that if you have a parent or sibling who has Alzheimer’s, your
risk of developing the same disease increases by two to three times. Having
the particular hereditary trait that carries the Alzheimer’s gene will make
you more likely to develop it. In addition, if there are more individuals in
the family who have Alzheimer’s, the greater the risk.
As one of the causes of Alzheimer’s, scientist identify three mutations on
chromosomes 1, 14, and 21 and possibly chromosomes 10 and 12.
Brain Damage
For years, scientists have linked Alzheimer’s disease to an abnormal deposit
of the protein beta amyloid in the brain. This protein deposit often
disrupts the communication between nerve cells and cause damage to the
brain, leading to development of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
It has been noted that people who suffer a head injury exhibit high levels
of amyloid deposit in the brain. A positive link between this amyloid
deposit and dementia has also been made. Thus brain damage as a result of
head injury may also be one of the causes of Alzheimer’s disease. As are
head trauma due to vascular damage from such diseases as stroke, high blood
pressure, atherosclerotic disease, and diabetes mellitus.
Estrogen
There are a higher percentage of women who develop Alzheimer’s disease than
men. This led to speculations that estrogen, a hormone that is released only
by women, may be one of the causes of Alzheimer’s. But there is no proof as
of yet. |
| This article
is provided courtesy of Roxanne Courtmanch. Please visit
www.thehelpingcircle.com for more articles on Alzheimers
as well as many other topics that may be of interest to you. |
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Alzheimer Articles
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Alzheimer’s Association
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