Environmental Risk Factors: What Can Lead to Alzheimer's Disease?
There are a few things that may make people more likely to get Alzheimer’s. So far, research has linked the disease with:
- Age, your risk for Alzheimer's goes up as you get older. For most people, it starts going up after age 65.
- Gender, women get the disease more often than men.
- Family history, people who have a parent or sibling with Alzheimer’s are more likely to get it themselves.
- Down Syndrome, it’s not clear why, but people with this disorder often get Alzheimer's disease in their 30s and 40s.
- Head injury, some studies have shown a link between Alzheimer's disease and a major head injury.
- Other factors are high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure increases peoples risk of getting the disease.
Genetic Risk Factors:
If you contain certain genes they make you more susceptible to develop Alzheimer's. The most common gene associated with late-onset Alzheimer's disease is called apolipoprotein E (APOE). It affects people 65 years and older. Other Alzheimer's causing genes are: ABCA7, CLU, CRI, PICALM, PLD3, TREM2 and SORL1. This genes do not directly cause the disease, but if you have variations in these genes you have a greater chance of developing the disease.
Alzheimer's: Is it in your genes? (n.d.). Retrieved April 07, 2017, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/in-depth/alzheimers-genes/art-20046552
APOE Gene
The APOE gene provides instructions for making a protein called apolipoprotein E. This protein combines with fats, also known as lipids, in the body to form molecules called lipoproteins. Lipoproteins are responsible for packaging cholesterol and other fats and carrying them through the bloodstream. The gene is essential in maintaining normal levels of cholesterol is essential for the prevention of disorders that affect the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular diseases), including heart attack and stroke.
There are at least three slightly different versions (alleles) of the APOE gene. The major alleles are called e2, e3, and e4. The most common allele is e3, which is found in more than half of the general population. The improper function of this gene causes Alzheimer's disease.
H. (2017, April 18). APOE gene - Genetics Home Reference. Retrieved April 25, 2017, from https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/APOE#
Heading Picture: (2014, March 01). Retrieved April 25, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gVLJg-p22c