Alzheimer’s disease is a disease that does not have a definite understanding of how people develop the disease. However there are risk factors that contribute to the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s. Genetics and excessive metals consumed are among the risk factors the raise the chances of developing the disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disease that is non-reversible. Studies show that amyloid plaques and the neurofibrillary tangle up (which start the form of the disease), which then breaks connections between the nerve cells in the brain and cause death of these nerve cells. Alzheimer’s disease is heterogeneous which means it’s diverse, however some genetic isoforms appear to show similarities or related biochemical consequences. (George-Hyslop, 2000)
Genetic epidemiologic studies show that first-degree relatives of people who have Alzheimer’s disease have an age dependent risk around 38% by the age of 90. Studies also show that 30-50% of the population that are at risk of having Alzheimer’s can be attributed to genetic reasoning. (George-Hyslop, 2000)
There are two different types of Alzheimer’s disease. Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, which occurs from the ages 30-60 and is caused by mainly genetics. Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease occurs after the age of 60 and is caused by genetics, and also environmental factors such as metals. (Bokvist, Lindstrom, Watts & Grobner, 2004)
Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease is less than 5% of all cases diagnosed. It’s caused by gene mutations in the deterministic genes, which can be passed from parent to child. Researchers came up with the conclusion that this type of disorder can only result in one of three proteins: amyloid precursor protein (APP), presenilin-1 (PS-1) and presenilin-2 (PS-2). By tampering with these genes, large amounts of toxic proteins (amyloid beta peptide) are produced in the brain. Too much of this protein in the brain can bind together making amyloid plaques. The build up of...
