Alzheimer's disease - Symptoms - Causes

What is Alzheimer's:

Introduction:

Alzheimer's (al-SAI-mer) is a brain disease that causes problems with memory, thinking and character or behavior. Alzheimer's starts slowly. First it affects the parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language. People with this illness may have difficulty remembering things that happened recently or the names of people they know. A related problem, mild cognitive impairment, causes more memory problems than normal ones in people of the same age. Many, but not all people with mild cognitive impairment, will develop Alzheimer's.

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It is the most common form of dementia:

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia. Dementia is a general term to describe the loss of memory and other intellectual abilities and is so different that it interferes with the individual's daily life. Alzheimer's accounts for 60 to 80 percent of the cases of dementia.

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Symptom:

Although there are many symptoms, most people experience a memory loss that affects daily activities and the ability to enjoy hobbies that the person enjoyed previously. Other symptoms are confusion, disorientation in familiar places, placement of objects out of place, problems with speech and / or writing.

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Risk factors for Alzheimer's disease:

Older age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. After 65 years, the possibility of developing Alzheimer's doubles every five years, causing 40 percent of people over 85 years of age to have the disease.

Interestingly, patients who have reached 90 years without signs of the disease have a low risk of developing it later.

In addition to age, another important risk factor is family history. First-degree relatives with Alzheimer's have a greater risk of developing it, highlighting an important role of the genetic load.

Other factors also increase the risks of developing Alzheimer's disease, including:

Sedentary lifestyle.
Arterial hypertension.
High cholesterol.
Mellitus diabetes.
Depression after 50 years of age.

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Therefore, some factors related to brain stimulation reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's, such as stories.

High level of education.
Works that are intellectually stimulating.
Frequent reading.
Play musical instruments.
Frequent social interaction.

Is Alzheimer's disease inherited?

"In general, most of the cases are sporadic, therefore, no hereditary son." It is true that there is a very small percentage of cases that have Alzheimer's disease, probably around 1-5%, which if they have an autosomal dominant inheritance (the descendants of this person have a 50% chance of having a mutation causing the disease) .In these people the disease is to debut before the age of 65. These patients can be carriers of a mutation in one of these three causal genes:

The gene of the preculous protein of amyloid β peptide (APP)
The presenilin1 gene (PSEN1)
The presenilin 2 gene (PSEN 2)

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Treatments for Alzheimer's disease:

Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease. However, there are medications that can help control or delay it for some time, especially in the early stages of the disease. The psychotic symptoms (hallucinations or delusions) that can occur when the disease progresses.