Is Alzheimer's Disease Hereditary?

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive and fatal brain disorder. The disease damages the person's brain cells, causing memory loss and severe damage to intellectual capabilities. According to the Alzheimer's Association website, this incurable disease is now the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.

Genetics and Alzheimer's Disease

• The major causes of Alzheimer's are yet to be identified, but researchers have long delved into genetics to search for possible connections. Although 99.9 percent of Alzheimer's cases are not hereditary, siblings may be at a high risk of acquiring Alzheimer's because of the kind of environment they are in. However, in the rare cases of familial Alzheimer's disease, hereditary components were identified.

Warning Signs

• Alzheimer's can happen to anybody. It starts from a simple memory lapse and progresses gradually to total impairment of intellectual capabilities that leads to death. The Alzheimer's Association noted 10 warning signs of Alzheimer's disease: difficulty performing familiar tasks, memory loss, disorientation to time and space, problems with language, problems with abstract thinking, poor or decreased judgment, changes in personality, loss of initiative, changes in mood and behavior and misplacing things.

Risk Factors

• The most important risk factor in developing Alzheimer's disease is advancing age. Most sufferers are 65 or older, and the chance of an elderly person getting the diseases doubles about every five years beyond 65 years old. The risks rise to almost 50 percent after age 85.

  Another risk factor that greatly influences the development of this disease is family history. Those who have parents, siblings or children with Alzheimer's have more chances of developing the disease. The chances increase if there is more than one family member afflicted with it. Genetics is another risk factor.

Treatment

• At present, there is no particular medical procedure that can cure Alzheimer's disease. There are, however, medical treatments that can slow down the progression of cognitive impairment with the use of drugs, and therapy can help manage behavioral problems. Pharmacological treatments help in managing cognitive symptoms such as degradation of memory, thinking and perception. Use of non-pharmacological treatments such as behavioral therapies and communication techniques has surfaced recently.

Misconceptions

• According to Sciencedaily.com, a national survey about Alzheimer's found that this disease remains a mystery to blacks, Hispanics and whites, and most of them do not know that there are available treatments that can reduce symptoms. Half of the respondents said that risks of the disease cannot be reduced and that nothing can be done to maintain a victim's cognitive functioning. Understanding how people regard Alzheimer's is essential to the overall management of this disease.