Is Alzheimer’s Genetic?
March 22, 2007 by Mary Emma Allen
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
When people learn my mother and aunt developed Alzheimer’s disease, they often ask, “Aren’t you afraid you’ll get it, too…that it’s in your genes?”
Is Alzheimer’s genetic?
Did Auntie and Mother develop it because of something in their genes? Then why didn’t their two brothers have Alzheimer’s? Their minds were alert when they died in their 80’s. We can’t say it’s because they were males and Mother and Auntie females since other men develop Alzheimer’s.
Although there is testing and research going on by many scientists and institutions, they’ve found no certain cause nor sure cure. The testing continues to see whether one person is likely to get it and another is not. Scientists also want an answer to the genetic questions, too.
So…I answer that I’m not worried because, at this point, I don’t know that there’s anything genetic to make it more likely that my sister or I will develop Alzheimer’s. It will be interesting to see what the scientists eventually come up with in answering the question, “Is Alzheimer’s genetic?”
Decoding Darkness: The Search for the Genetic Causes of Alzheimer’s Disease may not have all the answers, but may give some idea of what’s being done.
Perhaps the better question is: Is Alzheimer’s disease heritable? Genetic factors influence almost every (if not every) characteristic and it is almost definite that specific genetic changes do cause the disease but which are sporadic or inherited remains to be confirmed.