What Alzheimer’s Disease Mean to You and Me

Why should we care about Alzheimer’s disease? The term is as foreign to us as the Greek alphabet or the Mayan calendar. For the estimated 6.2 million Americans aged 65 and older who currently live with the disease according to a report made by the Alzheimer Association, finding the cure to the disease is an urgent race against time. The figures are increasing every minute. By 2050, 12.7 million Americans aged 65 and over will have suffered from the dreaded Alzheimer’s dementia. 

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressively degenerating disease that wreaks havoc on the brain cells or neurons.  The development of beta-amyloid protein plaques outside the brain’s neurons and the tangles of tau proteins inside the neurons lead to the destruction of the brain cells and the brain to shrink. The damage done to the brain manifests as dementia in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Memory loss, language, and problem-solving difficulties, and continuous decline in thinking skills that affect an individual’s daily activities are the main indicators of dementia. 

The exact cause of Alzheimer’s disease is still a matter of debate. That the neurons die and lose connection to each other is well-accepted. However, the sequence of destructive events inside the brain cells that lead to their death has not been fully explained. Scientists and medical professionals all agree that several risk factors contribute to the probability of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The major risk factors are:

- Age. People who are 65 and over are most at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease

- Genetic. Those who harbor a certain apolipoprotein E gene type known as APOE-e4 are most susceptible to beta-amyloid accumulation. 

- Family history. Someone who has a parent or sibling with Alzheimer’s disease has a bigger probability of developing the disease.

- Down Syndrome. People with Down syndrome are also likely to fall prey to the disease due to the presence of three copies of chromosome 21 (trisomy 21) in their genes.

- Traumatic brain injury. The likelihood of Alzheimer’s disease in individuals with head trauma increases with the number of traumatic brain injuries sustained.

by Carl Kegerreis, author of the book,  I Wish I Had Those Gasoline Pellets