Possible Causes of Alzheimer's Disease

The exact causes of Alzheimer's disease have not been discovered. Medical researchers can only make educated guesses at the triggers of the most common among all aging diseases.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) afflicts one in every 10 Americans above age 65. That's over four million senior citizens in the US afflicted with AD compared to the half million who have Parkinson's disease.

Due to the sheer number of AD patients, scientists have been able to study the condition extensively with one aim: prevention.

Causes of Alzheimer's Disease - 4 Common Patterns

Although the causes of Alzheimer's disease remain a mystery, its effects on the human body are well documented. Certain patterns have established themselves in the brains of Alzheimer patients.

The following discoveries were made.

1. Research shows similar structural and chemical changes take place in the brains of AD patients, which make it hard for patients to process, remember, and recall info. Why such changes happen is still being studied.
2. The brains of AD patients were discovered to produce less of the chemicals (neurotransmitters) the human brain needs to communicate among nerve cells. An AD patient's brain is low on neurotransmitters like serotonin and acetylcholine, among others.
3. In the hippocampus, the memory part of the brain, AD patients show nerve cell loss. That is, aside from the decrease in chemicals the human brain needs to carry info back and forth among cells.
4. There are two major abnormalities that have been observed in the brains of AD patients:
   • Tangles – when the cell fibers of nerves in the brain twist
   • Plaques – caused by a sticky kind of protein known as Beta-amyloid

The net effect: the brain atrophies and shrinks.

Causes of Alzheimer's Disease - 7 Risk Factors

Although falling short of pinpointing the exact causes of Alzheimer's disease, studies have revealed certain factors that make getting AD more likely.

1. Age – This is the way the probability of developing AD breaks down:
   • At age 65 – 1% of Americans develop AD
   • At 85 – 30%-50% of Americans develop AD
   
   
   Note: Some suggest that if you live long enough, you'll eventually develop AD. But AD is a DISEASE, not merely a more pronounced version of normal aging!
   
2. Gender – AD is more common in females than males.
   
3. 
   
4. Down's Syndrome – Those afflicted with this disease often tend to AD around age 40-50.
   


5. Family's Mental Health History - If your relatives have AD you may have a tendency to develop it. But note that inherited AD exists in LESS THAN 1% of the total number of cases the world over.
   


6. In cases where AD recurs within certain families, it's classified as a separate type of AD known as early onset FAD (Familial Alzheimer's Disease).
   


7. Head Trauma – There are studies that show a relationship between AD and substantial head trauma.
   


8. Educational Background – Finally, research has shown that poor educational attainment is connected to AD. But no explanation has been given as to why this is so.