HealthTree Blog

Alzheimer’s Disease is a form of dementia; however, not all people who suffer from dementia have Alzheimer’s Disease. Symptoms are similar, with the main ones consisting of mental confusion, memory loss, and-as the disease progresses-loss of language capabilities.
Because Alzheimers, as it is sometimes referred to, does have some of the same symptomatic characteristics as dementia, health care practitioners attempting to determine a diagnosis of Alzheimers will conduct a process referred to as “staging” symptoms. This means that a patient’s symptoms will be monitored. If they progress in a specific way, the patient is considered to have Alzheimers.
It is unknown what exactly causes Alzheimer disease (another way of referring to the condition); however, there are definite links to the presence of specific types of brain lesions. These lesions, however, can only be seen after death, when an autopsy is performed, and the brain is examined.
So, what causes the lesions to appear? That, too, is uncertain. It is believed that mutations in certain genes can play a role; however, half of the people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease do not exhibit these mutations. People who suffer with high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease. Again, these factors cannot be considered a definitive cause, but it is interesting to learn that the gene which is involved in moving cholesterol through the body is also the same one in which mutations are thought to also be a possible trigger for Alzheimer’s Disease.
These are but a few of the reasons offered for the formation of the brain lesions. Studies are still being conducted into what may cause the brain lesions which lead to Alzheimer’s Disease.