Can you beat the odds of developing Alzheimer’s disease?

Number of Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s disease today:  Approximately 5 million.

Expected number of Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s disease in just 4 years: 15 million; that’s 3 times as many.

Percentage of people over 85 with the disease: Nearly half.

Percentage of people under 65 with the disease: 5.

At 59 in 2012, Coach Pat Summitt announced she had early-onset dementia, which can lead to Alzheimer’s disease. With the most wins in college basketball, Coach Summitt is determined to keep working. Doctors support her decision. She eventually passed away in 2016 at a nursing home soon after turning 64.

So, here is the big question: are there things each of us can do that might decrease our risk of developing Alzheimer’s? Piedmont Neurologist Robert Gilbert, M.D., says Alzheimer’s cases are rising as the population ages and more people are diagnosed. There’s no single test for Alzheimer’s, but doctors often use MRIs to look for signs that support a diagnosis.

Dr. Gilbert states, “Unfortunately, by the time you see changes of atrophy in the temporal lobe (via MRI) the patient already has signs, so it’s helpful to exclude other causes.” If a patient has signs of memory loss, Dr. Gilbert says he usually sends them for further neurological testing to look at possible causes.

Dr. Gilbert says, “There are certain things one can do to reduce the risk of getting Alzheimer’s, but we know there are genetic links - that’s something we can test, to some degree, but it’s not valid clinically yet.”

Dr. Gilbert shares seven simple daily habits that may help significantly lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The most important is increasing physical activity. The study also found that depression, obesity and diabetes all increase the risk.

Keeping the mind active also lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Gilbert says, “We’ve known for a long time that higher functioning, smarter patients - ones that have gone through higher levels of education or stayed mentally active - seem to not have as much presentation with Alzheimer’s.”

Dr. Gilbert says that data shows that patients can reduce or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by 10-20% with lifestyle changes. He says lifestyle habits may influence Alzheimer’s risk, but the exact cause is still unknown.

What is the difference between Alzheimer's disease and Dementia?

Dementia is a symptom, and AD is the cause of the symptom. Alzheimer's disease causes 50% to 60% of all dementia.

How common is Alzheimer’s among people over 65?

It gets more common with age. About 10% of people over 65 have Alzheimer’s, and nearly half of those over 85 are affected. The number of people with the disease doubles every 5 years beyond age 65. Some researchers suspect that as many as half of all people over 80 years old develop Alzheimer's disease.

What are the risk factors – factors we can’t change?

• Age (increase with age)
• Gender (more women)
• Family history (> 1% cases inherited, mostly onset before 65)
• People with Downs syndrome
• Head injury
• Environmental toxins
• Low education level

Need to make an appointment with a Piedmont physician? Save time, book online.