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Why Do People Develop Alzheimer's

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Alzheimer’s is defined as “A degenerative brain disease of unknown cause that is the most common form of dementia, that usually starts in late middle age or in old age, that results in progressive memory loss, impaired thinking, disorientation, and changes in personality and mood…” (Webster). The Alzheimer’s Association states that more than 5 million American are currently living with Alzheimer’s. It is also the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S. Alzheimer’s disease was named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer by another doctor who worked with Alois. Alois discovered the illness when one of his patients displayed changes in her personality including memory loss and other things. When examining her brain at an autopsy, Dr. Alois observed damage …show more content…

They do know that it involves the brain cells to die. According to the Alzheimer’s Association people’s risk of developing the disease include genetics, old age, and carrying the APOE-e4 gene. Having the APOE-e4 gene does not fully guarantee that someone will have Alzheimer’s. It is just a gene that influences the chances. There are others genes that can cause an individual to develop Alzheimer’s, but APOE-e4 is the more dominant gene. The other genes are APOE-e2 and APOE-e3. Alzheimer’s Association states that everyone inherits one of the three APOE genes from each …show more content…

Researchers believe that Alzheimer’s is more prominent in women than it is in men. Everyday Health says that in the year of 2011 the Alzheimer’s Association reported that “3.4 million of the 5.4 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s are female” (Everyday Health). Gender is another big risk factor in developing Alzheimer’s. When develop Alzheimer’s, they can be more aggressive with their talking and physical abilities. Women are more emotional. They laugh or cry during spontaneously and can have delusions. Researchers also believe that more women have Alzheimer’s than men because the longevity of women. This also coincides with the fact that old age is a high risk

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