Alzheimer's disease has been called "the living death." As difficult as it is on those who are afflicted with it, Alzheimer's is also devastating to the loved ones who have to watch it slowly devour the mind and body of a loved one. While the factors that causes Alzheimer's have yet to be determined, doctors and scientist believe it is a combination of lifestyle, genetics and environment.
What Alzheimer's Does
Even though no known cause is readily apparent, we do know that Alzheimer's disease destroys brain cells. There are two ways that Alzheimer's attacks brain cells--through plaques and tangles. Plaques are proteins, clinically referred to as beta-amyloid, that attack communications in the brain. Tangles, otherwise known as tau, attack the inner structure of the brain. When both beta-amyloid and tau proteins in the brain are present (as in Alzheimer's cases), the patient's ability to think and function normally are severely impaired and eventually destroyed.
Age Determinant
Age is one of the biggest risk factors to the on-set of Alzheimer's. Although there have been cases of Alzheimer's affecting people under the age of 40, the disease is typically limited to those over 60. The Mayo Clinic reports that less than 5 percent of people 65 to 74 have the disease. That number jumps up to 50 percent in people 85 or older.
Sex Determinant
Between the sexes, women are more likely to have Alzheimer's disease than their male counterparts. No real reason for this is known other than the fact that, on average, women have a longer life span than males.
Lifestyle Determinant
Several risk factors come from a person's lifestyle. In fact, the same factors that make someone a risk for heart problems make them a risk for Alzheimer's disease. Things like high cholesterol and poorly maintained diabetes show a higher correlation to the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
