What Causes Alzheimer’s Disease?
Medical specialists do not yet completely understand the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease in a majority of people. The causes of Alzheimer’s probably are a combination of lifestyle factors, genetics, age-related brain changes, and along with some environmental factors too. The significance of any one of these causes might be increasing or decreasing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease might vary in each individual. [3]
As we know that Alzheimer’s is a progressive and degenerative brain disease, it mainly develops by the changes in the brain, which arise due to buildup of amyloid and tau proteins. The alterations in the brain functioning results in the loss of connection between the neurons and there is disruption of the nervous system functions. All of which impairs one’s ability to evaluate, memorize, and behave normally. Following are the possible causes of Alzheimer’s disease:
Increased age
Increased age does not really cause Alzheimer’s, but it is an important factor under consideration regarding the development of the disease. Scientists report that the number of Alzheimer’s patients is increasing two times among the people aging beyond 65 years after almost every 5 years. It is important to understand the pattern of how the age-related changes in the brain lead to the development and onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms. Almost one-third of all people from the 85 years or more age group might have Alzheimer’s disease. With the progression of age, there are certain changes in the brain tissues which affect and damage the neurons to contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
However, some of the age-related alterations occurring due to increased age include inflammation, shrinking or medically known as atrophy of some parts of the brain, production of free radicals, malfunction of energy production within neurons, and vascular damage. Although older age contributes greatly to the development of Alzheimer’s disease, but it is the not the sole cause of Alzheimer’s in every patient. A majority of older adults live in their 80s or even beyond that without having Alzheimer’s.