Alzheimer's Disease Gene

Alzheimer's disease is one that starts to affect brain cells over a significant period of time. When brain cells start sustaining this damage, the symptoms of Alzheimer's show up and these brain cells slowly start to die off. Once the dying of brain cells begins, some cognitive processes begin to fail, causing effects such as confusion, a decrease in image recognition, memory impairment and a decrease in awareness.

When a sufferer of this terrible disease reaches this stage, it is extremely difficult, and many times it is nearly impossible, to live a normal, independent life. Many who suffer with Alzheimer's need to be reminded of where they are, who they are, the dangers of every day life such as a hot kettle, the names of objects and colors, and even who their very own family members are. There are few moments during which the sufferer is aware of such things, but moments like this will continue to decrease as the disease continues. Currently, the most common cause of the disease dementia is Alzheimer's disease.

There's plenty of research taking place to find out what causes Alzheimer's disease, and how to prevent it, but there are still no clear answers when it comes to why this disease actually develops. It's quite clear that a lot more research will be needed before anyone can come close to answering this question. What is known to a great deal of certainty is the fact that once the disease begins, it progresses quite rapidly, and quick steps need to be taken to try and inhibit the rate at which this disease affects the brain, and this is done usually through medication.

Another important aspect that most researchers and experts agree on is the fact that there is nearly always a greater risk of developing Alzheimer's if there is a history of the disease in the family. This points to the fact that genes are involved in the appearance of this disease.

Many years of research have given us the conclusion that there are two genes that play a role when it comes to the development of Alzheimer's. The first gene is called the Risk Gene. Namely, this means that people who have this gene have a higher risk of getting Alzheimer's disease than those who do not have this gene. The second gene is known as the deterministic gene, and, as the name suggest, this gene is important because it guarantees whether or not someone will have to deal with Alzheimer's at some point in their life.

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