What Is Alzheimer S Disease Caused By
Health environmental and lifestyle factors that may contribute to alzheimer s disease.
What is alzheimer s disease caused by. The apoe gene has three forms. Family history researchers believe that genetics may play a role in developing alzheimer s disease. While some risk factors age family history and heredity can t be changed emerging evidence suggests there may be other factors we can influence. Scientists believe that for most people alzheimer s disease is caused by a combination of genetic lifestyle and environmental factors that affect the brain over time.
Age is the best known risk factor for alzheimer s disease. Researchers believe that alzheimer s disease and other dementias are likely caused by multiple factors including genetics lifestyle and environment. The causes probably include a combination of age related changes in the brain along with genetic environmental and lifestyle factors. One risk factor for this type of alzheimer s disease is a protein called apolipoprotein e apoe.
Research is still being conducted to learn a lot more about what causes alzheimer s disease. The importance of any one of these factors in increasing or decreasing the risk of alzheimer s disease may differ from person to person. There probably is not one single cause but several factors that affect each person differently. Alzheimer s is the sixth leading cause of death in the united states.
Scientists don t yet fully understand what causes alzheimer s disease in most people. Everyone has apoe which helps carry cholesterol in the blood. Changes in the brain can begin years before the first symptoms appear.