1. age
Increasing age is a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease emergence.
Aging is not always accompanied by Alzheimer's disease, but the risk of this disease will increase with age.
Once a person reaches age 65, the risk of developing Alzheimer's will rise to double every five years. About half of people aged 85 years suffering from Alzheimer's.
But people who have a rare genetic changes often develop Alzheimer's disease and began to show symptoms of the disease in their 40s or 50s years.
2. Family History and Genetics
Alzheimer's risk will increase if there is an immediate family member (parent, brother, sister, child) with the disease.
The scientists managed to identify changes or mutations in three genes that are responsible for the emergence of Alzheimer's disease.
However, mutations in these genes only contribute less than 5 percent of Alzheimer's disease. Most of the mechanisms of the emergence of Alzheimer's among family members still remain unexplained.
Researchers found that a gene is the strongest risk of Alzheimer apolipoprotein e4 (APOE-e4).
3. s*x
Women are at greater risk than men affected by Alzheimer's disease. This happens because most of the women's longer life expectancy than men.
4. Mild Cognitive Disorders
People who are experiencing mild cognitive impairment (Mild Cognitive Impairment) having memory problems or other symptoms of cognitive decline that is worse than it should have been at their age, but not severe enough to be diagnosed as dementia.
Although still uncertain, those with mild cognitive impairment are at greater risk for having dementia.
5. Lifestyle and Heart Health
Until now there is no strong evidence that lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
However, there is evidence to suggest that some risk factors for heart disease may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease as well, such as:
a. lack of exercise
b. smoke
c. High blood pressure
d. Diabetes is not well controlled
e. high cholesterol
The risk factors are also associated with vascular dementia, one type of cognitive impairment caused by damage to blood vessels in the brain.
Many people who experience cognitive decline have characteristic changes in the brain such as Alzheimer's and vascular dementia.
Working closely with the health care team, you make a plan to control the factors that will help protect heart health and help reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's.
6. Lifelong Learning (Lifelong Learning) Social Interaction and Engagement
The study found that the activity of learning and social interaction can reduce the lifetime risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Factors that may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease include:
a. Formal education level higher
b. Jobs that provide stimulus
c. Challenging mental activities, such as reading, playing games, or play a musical instrument
d. Frequent social interactions
Until now, scientists have not been able to explain this relationship in detail.
But there is a theory that says that the use of the brain, then the brain will build more connections between the cells, which can protect the brain from the effects of Alzheimer-related changes.
Another explanation is that people who suffer from Alzheimer's are less likely to find activities that give stimulus (stimulating activities) several years before they were diagnosed with the disease.
