When dementia occurs, nerve cells commonly die in areas of the brain, which are vital to memory and other mental abilities. Many believe that connections between the nerve cells become disrupted; somehow, therefore resulting in lower levels of chemicals, those are needed for transmitting messages in the brain. Disrupting these messages would impair the thinking process of the patient, and may at least partially explain the forgetfulness that is so common in Alzheimer’s patients.

While Alzheimer’s disease is known to usually set in after age 60, there have been cases of younger people suffering from the condition. The only definite symptom is that the risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease continues to go up with age, though it is not considered to be a normal part of aging.

Will all of the elderly fall victim to this condition? What might be done to prevent it? It’s believed that there are several factors brought into play, in regards to people contracting this disease. Age is, of course, most important and the most common risk factor; the numbers of people who have this disease seem to double every year, beyond the age of 65.

Family history is also said to play a role in whether or not a person may develop Alzheimer’s. Those families who suffer from early-onset forms of Alzheimer’s disease tend to see a likelihood of a hereditary strain, whereas those who suffer from the more common version of Alzheimer’s find that it does not seem to be a matter of genetics. To date, the only risk factor that has been actively mentioned in relation to the late-onset variety of Alzheimer’s is a gene that is known to create the protein, ApoE (apolipoprotein), a chemical responsible for helping to carry cholesterol in the blood. Additional studies are being carried out, checking to see the effects of education, diet, and environment and how this may also indicate an increased chance of the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

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