Alzheimer’s is a very frightening neurodegenerative disease that slowly robs a person of their memories, their rationality and their ability to perform even the simplest of tasks. Just as frightening is the knowledge that, not only can we not cure it or slow its effects, but that we do not yet know all the factors that bring this disease about. While it’s commonly thought to be a disease of the elderly, recent studies have shown that it can also occur in younger people, and that there may be several factors that, when added together, create a ripe opportunity for Alzheimer’s disease to take hold.

To date, there is no single known cause for Alzheimer’s disease. Some studies suggest that there may be hereditary factors, while others believe it has to do with maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Still others will argue that allowing one’s brain to ‘stagnate’ and not keeping it working; basically put, that the brain grows rusty from lack of use, may cause it. Some scientists even claim that recent studies indicate the damage that is done to the brain, by Alzheimer’s disease, may occur years before the patient even begins to show symptoms.

There is no real way of diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, short of an autopsy that is performed after the person passes away; only then, can the presence of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques be detected. Plaques are the clumps of protein that form outside the brain’s nerve cells, while the tangles are formed of twisted strands of other proteins which form inside the cells. Together, these two abnormalities work to disrupt the normal processes in the brain, preventing the transfer of chemicals that pass messages from nerve cell to nerve cell. While tangles and plaques are always present on the post-mortem brains of Alzheimer’s patients, scientists do not know if it’s the tangles and plaques which cause Alzheimer’s, or if it is the disease which causes the tangles and plaques.

Alzheimer’s disease involves the malfunction or death of the nerve cells, but it’s not yet known why this occurs. Scientists continue to research this, but several key risk factors have been determined, in regards to Alzheimer’s disease. By considering the risk factors, this helps us learn more about the disease and, hopefully, may suggest ways of avoiding it. The first and most well known risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease is age. Most patients don’t develop the disease until they are at least 65 years of age but, once they reach this age, the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s doubles every five years or so, after the age of 65. By the time a person is 85 years of age, there is usually a 50% chance that they will develop this disease.

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