Alzheimer's disease is a severe degenerative condition that affects millions of people worldwide, their families and caregivers. Understanding the causes of Alzheimer's can be helpful for both patients diagnosed with this devastating illness as well as those who have family members or loved ones affected by it. In this article, we'll take a look at the various theories and potential causes of Alzheimer's disease, including genetic factors, lifestyle choices, environmental influences, neurological processes and more. Understanding what leads to this illness can hopefully provide us with some insights into how best to delay its progression or even prevent it altogether.
What are the Causes Of Alzheimer's?
So, what causes Alzheimer’s disease? There are genetic factors associated with both early and late onset of Alzheimer’s disease, and several risk factors are also associated with this disease, which can be categorised as follows:
- Age: Advancing age is one of the most important causes and risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.
- Genetic factors: Alzheimer’s disease has been found to be more common in people with the following genetic issues:
- Presence of Trisomy 21 or Down’s Syndrome
- The presence of the APOE e4 allele causes the build-up of a certain protein in the brain called amyloid-β (Aβ) that causes Alzheimer’s disease.
- Presence of family history of dementia
- Head injury: Trauma in the head is one of the main causes of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Cerebrovascular disease: The presence of cerebrovascular or any type of brain disorder predisposes a person to Alzheimer’s disease.
- Smoking: Research has shown that smoking increases the chances of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Cardiovascular disease: The presence of cardiovascular or heart diseases has been found to cause cognitive decline and dementia, leading to Alzheimer’s disease.
- Depression: Depression is one of the main risk factors that causes changes in the brain and is responsible for many cases of Alzheimer’s disease.