Post by norbert1 on Jun 19, 2006 8:50:48 GMT -5
Topics covered in this post:
Early Onset Alzheimers
Genetic risk of Alzheimers
Cluster of Late Onset Alzheimers
----------------------------
411 - Early Onset Alzheimers 02/07/06 08:24 PM
Late onset (sporadic) Alzheimers Disease - onset over age 65
Early onset Alzheimers - onset before age 65
Familial Alzheimers - inherited - caused by mutation on gene 21, 14 or 1.
This whole concept is very misunderstood. The major differential for early or late onset is whether the onset is before or after age 65 (senile or presenile). But this distinction is very arbitrary. This disease really doesn’t care about the tradition age of retirement.
The more important distinction is whether the alzheimers is sporadic (random) or familial. In sporadic, genetics CAN contribute to getting it, but other unknown factors are also involved.
The familial alzheimers is caused by genetics. If the person gets the gene, they WILL get Alzheimers - and they will get it at the same age as their parent got it.
Chromosome 21 alzheimers tends to occur at age 50
Chromosome 14 or 1 alzheimer tends to occur at age 35 to early 60’s.
Myoclonus is common with both.
The familial alzheimers tends to progress more quickly than sporadic. Other than that it is the same disease.
-----------------
411 - Genetic risk of Alzheimers 01/05/06 01:20 PM
There is early onset and late onset alzheimers with the age of 65 differentiating the two. When alzheimers occurs at an early age, especially younger than 50 or 55, it is likely to be familial, meaning it is definitely caused by a specific gene. A parent with the gene has a 50/50 chance of passing the gene to his/her children. Such families are very aware of their family history, with the early occurance of alzheimers affecting parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Genetic testing can check for the presence of this gene.
It is also felt that many of the early onset cases, diagnosed (or misdiagnosed) in the 50's are more likely to be caused by causes other than Alzheimers; such as Vascular, Picks, frontotemporal, or Lewy body.
Late onset Alzheimers (after age 65) is totally different. There is a gene (APOE4) that increases the risk of Alzheimers but it is only one factor. And over half of the people with alzheimers do NOT have the gene. Having the gene increases a person's risk from about 11% to 27%. So knowing if you have that gene really does not tell whether you would get Alzheimers at some later date. For this reason, doctors do not test for this gene in their patients.
Researchers are still looking for other Alzheimer’s genes, thinking that it takes a combination of several genes to better understand what a person’s risk is.
For what it's worth, the older a person is, the greater the probability of getting alzheimers. At 80, a persons risk would be somewhere around 30%, and at 85, around 47%.
What about genetic testing? ---
Having the Apoe4 gene increases the risk of getting late onset sporatic alzheimer, but does not mean you will definitely get it. And slightly more than half the people with Alzheimers do not have the gene. So the testing really does not tell you anything. Plus having the gene means that insurance companies might discriminate against the person. Therefore, there is no good reason to get this testing.
If your family has a history of familial, early onset alzheimers, and you want to persue genetic testing, then the genetic testing should be discussed with a counseling team at a university memory center.
----------------
“Preventing” Alzheimers"
Currently the alzheimers Association is conducting a program called "Maintain your Brain". You might want to check out their website.
Over the years there have been a number of risk factors identified that each statistically increase a person's chances of getting Alzheimers. Some of them come from the Nuns study, where level of education level seems to lower the risk. A number of heart health factors also seem to play a role in alzheimers (Interesting enough, the gene known to influence late onset alzheimers is a cholesterol transport gene) So maintaining a healthy lifestyle is supposed to reduce the risk of alzheimers.
Some of the risk factors and recommendations I remember.(all based on known risk factors)
Avoid obesity
Keep Diabetes, cloresterol and BP under control
stay physically active
Protect against head injury
Keep your mind active (TV doesnt count, too passive)
Eat a healthy diet
- avoid high fats in diet
- eat fish once or twice a week (ones with omega fats)
- eat folates (antioxidents) in veg. greens
- moderate wine consumption has shown to be helpful (same as in heart health)
----------------------------
411 - Cluster of Late Onset Alzheimers 03/19/06 07:48 AM
<<<Familial AZ ?
Dear All,
I am new here and doing some research for my mum and dad and hope some of you could help. My Grandma, my Dad's mother, has been diagnosed with AZ for the last 3 years. She is 85...she has 5 sisters...all younger..the youngest one is 70...2 have AZ...one of these has just died- the others are all showing symptoms e.g recent event memory loss etc.
What we wanted to know was is this quite common among siblings or is this actually quite rare?
Ginger>>>
Ginger,
Technically, familial alzheimers is also early onset and occurs before the age of 60. It is caused by one of three gene mutations. If a person has the gene, he will get alzheimers. A child of this person has a 50/50 chance of getting the gene.
Late onset alzheimers, (occurring after 60) is considered to be sporadic. There is a gene that increases the risk of Alzheimers, but does not definitely cause it. Many people with the gene do not get alzheimers and most people with late onset alzheimers do not have the gene.
Children of people with late onset alzheimers have an increased risk, but are not definitely going to get it. And they would have only have a fifty percent chance of getting any “bad genes”.
Based on what we know about the late onset gene, you should not have a situation where all the siblings of one family get alzheimers. (also consider, at age 85, the general risk of getting alzheimers is 47%)
But researchers have noticed that there are families where there is a cluster of Alzheimers. The current theory --- they think that there may be other genes involved and are searching for other genes that might also increase the risk of getting alzheimers. They want to identify the genes and determine how several genes might interact to produce the increased occurrence in these families with so many siblings with ALZ. To facilitate this research, they need genetic material from these “cluster” families.
The National Institute of Aging has set up the National Cell repository for Alzheimers disease located at Indiana University - ADEAR research center
The National institute on aging is Looking for 100 families with 2 siblings with late onset (after age 60) alzheimers. There must also be a third living sibling, with or without alzheimers. Blood from the individuals will be used to grow a cell line (cells grown in a laboratory) to be used for study in an attempt to find other genes that may contribute to the risk of developing alzheimers.
More information is available at www.ncrad.org
Early Onset Alzheimers
Genetic risk of Alzheimers
Cluster of Late Onset Alzheimers
----------------------------
411 - Early Onset Alzheimers 02/07/06 08:24 PM
Late onset (sporadic) Alzheimers Disease - onset over age 65
Early onset Alzheimers - onset before age 65
Familial Alzheimers - inherited - caused by mutation on gene 21, 14 or 1.
This whole concept is very misunderstood. The major differential for early or late onset is whether the onset is before or after age 65 (senile or presenile). But this distinction is very arbitrary. This disease really doesn’t care about the tradition age of retirement.
The more important distinction is whether the alzheimers is sporadic (random) or familial. In sporadic, genetics CAN contribute to getting it, but other unknown factors are also involved.
The familial alzheimers is caused by genetics. If the person gets the gene, they WILL get Alzheimers - and they will get it at the same age as their parent got it.
Chromosome 21 alzheimers tends to occur at age 50
Chromosome 14 or 1 alzheimer tends to occur at age 35 to early 60’s.
Myoclonus is common with both.
The familial alzheimers tends to progress more quickly than sporadic. Other than that it is the same disease.
-----------------
411 - Genetic risk of Alzheimers 01/05/06 01:20 PM
There is early onset and late onset alzheimers with the age of 65 differentiating the two. When alzheimers occurs at an early age, especially younger than 50 or 55, it is likely to be familial, meaning it is definitely caused by a specific gene. A parent with the gene has a 50/50 chance of passing the gene to his/her children. Such families are very aware of their family history, with the early occurance of alzheimers affecting parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Genetic testing can check for the presence of this gene.
It is also felt that many of the early onset cases, diagnosed (or misdiagnosed) in the 50's are more likely to be caused by causes other than Alzheimers; such as Vascular, Picks, frontotemporal, or Lewy body.
Late onset Alzheimers (after age 65) is totally different. There is a gene (APOE4) that increases the risk of Alzheimers but it is only one factor. And over half of the people with alzheimers do NOT have the gene. Having the gene increases a person's risk from about 11% to 27%. So knowing if you have that gene really does not tell whether you would get Alzheimers at some later date. For this reason, doctors do not test for this gene in their patients.
Researchers are still looking for other Alzheimer’s genes, thinking that it takes a combination of several genes to better understand what a person’s risk is.
For what it's worth, the older a person is, the greater the probability of getting alzheimers. At 80, a persons risk would be somewhere around 30%, and at 85, around 47%.
What about genetic testing? ---
Having the Apoe4 gene increases the risk of getting late onset sporatic alzheimer, but does not mean you will definitely get it. And slightly more than half the people with Alzheimers do not have the gene. So the testing really does not tell you anything. Plus having the gene means that insurance companies might discriminate against the person. Therefore, there is no good reason to get this testing.
If your family has a history of familial, early onset alzheimers, and you want to persue genetic testing, then the genetic testing should be discussed with a counseling team at a university memory center.
----------------
“Preventing” Alzheimers"
Currently the alzheimers Association is conducting a program called "Maintain your Brain". You might want to check out their website.
Over the years there have been a number of risk factors identified that each statistically increase a person's chances of getting Alzheimers. Some of them come from the Nuns study, where level of education level seems to lower the risk. A number of heart health factors also seem to play a role in alzheimers (Interesting enough, the gene known to influence late onset alzheimers is a cholesterol transport gene) So maintaining a healthy lifestyle is supposed to reduce the risk of alzheimers.
Some of the risk factors and recommendations I remember.(all based on known risk factors)
Avoid obesity
Keep Diabetes, cloresterol and BP under control
stay physically active
Protect against head injury
Keep your mind active (TV doesnt count, too passive)
Eat a healthy diet
- avoid high fats in diet
- eat fish once or twice a week (ones with omega fats)
- eat folates (antioxidents) in veg. greens
- moderate wine consumption has shown to be helpful (same as in heart health)
----------------------------
411 - Cluster of Late Onset Alzheimers 03/19/06 07:48 AM
<<<Familial AZ ?
Dear All,
I am new here and doing some research for my mum and dad and hope some of you could help. My Grandma, my Dad's mother, has been diagnosed with AZ for the last 3 years. She is 85...she has 5 sisters...all younger..the youngest one is 70...2 have AZ...one of these has just died- the others are all showing symptoms e.g recent event memory loss etc.
What we wanted to know was is this quite common among siblings or is this actually quite rare?
Ginger>>>
Ginger,
Technically, familial alzheimers is also early onset and occurs before the age of 60. It is caused by one of three gene mutations. If a person has the gene, he will get alzheimers. A child of this person has a 50/50 chance of getting the gene.
Late onset alzheimers, (occurring after 60) is considered to be sporadic. There is a gene that increases the risk of Alzheimers, but does not definitely cause it. Many people with the gene do not get alzheimers and most people with late onset alzheimers do not have the gene.
Children of people with late onset alzheimers have an increased risk, but are not definitely going to get it. And they would have only have a fifty percent chance of getting any “bad genes”.
Based on what we know about the late onset gene, you should not have a situation where all the siblings of one family get alzheimers. (also consider, at age 85, the general risk of getting alzheimers is 47%)
But researchers have noticed that there are families where there is a cluster of Alzheimers. The current theory --- they think that there may be other genes involved and are searching for other genes that might also increase the risk of getting alzheimers. They want to identify the genes and determine how several genes might interact to produce the increased occurrence in these families with so many siblings with ALZ. To facilitate this research, they need genetic material from these “cluster” families.
The National Institute of Aging has set up the National Cell repository for Alzheimers disease located at Indiana University - ADEAR research center
The National institute on aging is Looking for 100 families with 2 siblings with late onset (after age 60) alzheimers. There must also be a third living sibling, with or without alzheimers. Blood from the individuals will be used to grow a cell line (cells grown in a laboratory) to be used for study in an attempt to find other genes that may contribute to the risk of developing alzheimers.
More information is available at www.ncrad.org