Who's At Risk For Dementia And Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's is a disease that you need to plan for immediately after the diagnosis. However, some people enter the early stages of Alzheimer's without even knowing that they have it. The reason for this is that they either don't visit the doctor, or don't realize that they're at risk for the disease. While doctors still don't know exactly what causes Alzheimer's, they have narrowed it down. They believe that Alzheimer's disease involves either the destruction or malfunction of nerve cells - but they still don't know why this happens. However, doctors have agreed upon certain factors that may cause Alzheimer's disease, some preventable, and some not.

The first and most agreed upon risk is age. It's fairly easy for doctors to agree upon this risk factor because the majority of people who have Alzheimer's are 65 and older. Also, the chances of developing the disease almost doubles for every five years after the age of 65. Once a person reaches the ripe old age of 85, the risk factor reaches almost fifty percent. Age is one of the unpreventable causes of Alzheimer's disease.

Genetics and family history have always been thought to play a key role in the development of Alzheimer's. However, that may be a misguided. Researchers found that the more individuals in a family who have Alzheimer's, naturally the greater the risk for the rest of the family members. Also, people who have either a parent or a sibling with Alzheimer's were two to three times more susceptible to the disease. The researchers were able to find the gene that virtually guarantees that a person will have Alzheimer's, however, the only gene that is directly responsible has been found in only a few hundred families, and accounts for a small amount of cases. This leads scientists to believe that most Alzheimer's cases are due to both genetic and non-genetic factors.

Head injuries may play a much bigger factor than expected in the development of Alzheimer's disease, and thankfully it is one of the controllable risks. From what researchers have gathered, there is a very strong link between a major head injury and being at risk for Alzheimer's. This means that anyone who has played a contact sport such as football or hockey will be more susceptible to Alzheimer's. Do not misinterpret this as meaning that everyone who's played a sport will get Alzheimer's. It doesn't really matter how you damage your head, as long as it gets banged up Alzheimer's will have a higher chance of occurring.

Overall health has also been linked to Alzheimer's, and falls under the “preventable� category. If you don't eat a healthy diet, you may be more likely to have Alzheimer's disease in your later years. Those you smoke tobacco are also at increased risk, as are those who drink excessive amounts of alcohol. Staying socially active is also very important, as social activities have been found to exercise your mind. The more exercise you do with both your body and mind, the less likely you are to have Alzheimer's disease.

The last major connection that researchers have found deals with the heart and the head. There is already extremely powerful evidence which links brain health to heart health. Various damages to the heart like heart disease, diabetes, strokes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol all will inadvertently increase your risk for having Alzheimer's disease. The more damage there is to the heart, in the form of pretty much anything, the weaker you will be against Alzheimer's disease. The best advice here is to work with your doctor to insure that you're doing all that you can do, and live as healthy as possible.

Not surprisingly, the majority of researchers believe that general health is just as indicative of whether a person will catch Alzheimer's as genetics is. This is both good news and bad news. The bad news is that genetics does factor into Alzheimer's disease, and that is uncontrollable. The good news is genetics doesn't factor in as much as people think, and as long as you choose to live a healthy lifestyle, you may be able to stave off Alzheimer's disease. Eat properly, exercise both your mind and your body regularly, and you'll be well on your way to a healthier tomorrow.