Can Alzheimers disease be prevented?
Not enough is known about the causes of Alzheimer’s disease for any preventative measures to be recommended. Although Alzheimer’s disease is more common with increasing age, the trigger for the characteristic changes that occur in the brain tissue of people with Alzheimer’s disease is not known. Even though these brain changes are associated with aging, these are not a normal part of the aging process. Genes are thought to play a part in the development of most cases of Alzheimer’s disease. In rare cases, abnormal genes actually cause the disease. Much more commonly, genes are believed only to contribute to a person’s susceptibility to the disease. It seems that, at least in some cases, factors in the environment may be necessary to trigger the illness.
