Posted by Naheer Abdel Nabi Tuesday, July 18, 2023 08:00 PM It is well known that the elderly are most susceptible toAlzheimer’s disease However, some research has established that around 3.9 million people worldwide between the ages of 30 and 64 suffer from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease – a form of dementia in which symptoms appear before the age of 65.
And according to sciencealert, while people with Alzheimer’s disease usually experience memory loss as a first sign of the disease, people with Alzheimer’s disease at an early age tend to have other symptoms such as poor attention, a lack of ability to imitate hand gestures, and poor spatial awareness.
Some people with early Alzheimer’s disease may also experience an increase in anxiety before they are diagnosed. This may be due to awareness of the changes that are occurring, without a clear reason as to why they feel differently.
They may believe that these changes in behavior are temporary, which may prevent people from seeking medical help. Health care professionals may also misinterpret anxiety as a sign of other health conditions.
But while they may have less cognitive impairment at the time of diagnosis, studies have indicated that those with early Alzheimer’s disease show faster changes in their brains.
This suggests that the condition could be more aggressive than late-onset Alzheimer’s. This may also explain why people with early-onset Alzheimer’s tend to have a life expectancy about two years lower than those with late-onset.
Research shows that people with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease are also more aware of changes in their brain activity. This can lead to behavioral changes with conditions such as depression being prevalent in this group.
Within the brain itself, early Alzheimer’s disease causes chemical changes similar to those seen in late Alzheimer’s disease, but the areas of the brain that these chemical changes target can be different.
Research has found that areas of the brain involved in processing information related to movement and sensory function (called the parietal cortex) show greater signs of damage. There is also less damage to the hippocampus compared to late Alzheimer’s disease – a region of the brain important in learning and memory.
Why does that happen
The risk factors for early Alzheimer’s disease are similar to those for late Alzheimer’s disease.
For example, poor levels of cardiovascular fitness and decreased cognitive ability in early adulthood have been linked to an eightfold increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease at an early age. However, we have yet to fully understand all of the factors that affect a person’s chances of developing the condition.
One aspect that experts have pointed out is that genes play a role in about one in ten cases of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. To date, three genes (APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2) have been linked to early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
All of these genes are linked to a toxic protein thought to contribute to Alzheimer’s disease (known as amyloid beta). When these genes malfunction, a buildup of toxic beta-amyloid occurs, which is associated with symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Increasing evidence suggests that there may also be a link between traumatic brain injury and early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
2023-07-18 17:00:00
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