Read more about this disease, some with Classification – Types – Signs and symptoms – Genetics – Pathophysiology – Diagnosis – Screening – Prevention – Treatment and management – Cures and much more, some including pictures and video when available.
Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, also called early-onset Alzheimer’s, or early-onset AD, is the term used for cases of Alzheimer’s disease diagnosed before the age of 65. It is an uncommon form of Alzheimer’s, accounting for only 5-10% of all Alzheimer’s sufferers. Approximately half the cases of early-onset Alzheimer’s are Familial Alzheimer’s disease, where a genetic predisposition leads to the disease. The other incidences of early onset Alzheimer’s, however, share the same traits as the ‘late onset’ form commonly referred to as “Alzheimer’s disease”, and little is understood about how it starts.
Non-Familial early onset Alzheimer’s can develop in people who are in their 30’s or 40’s, but that is extremely rare. The majority of sufferers are in their 50’s, or early 60’s. Familial Alzheimer’s can appear as early as[citation needed] 16 years of age.
Sometimes the term is called “early-onset dementia”, although Alzheimer’s is a disease that is just one type of dementia.
Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and usually occurs in old age. It is invariably fatal, generally within ten years of the first signs. Normal aging involves forgetfulness but the early signs of AD include unusual memory loss, particularly in remembering recent events and the names of people and things. As the disease progresses the patient exhibits more serious problems, becoming subject to mood swings and unable to perform complex activities such as driving. In the latter stages they forget how to do simple things such as brushing their hair and then require full-time care.
The symptoms of the disease as a distinct nosologic entity were first identified by Emil Kraepelin, and the characteristic neuropathology was first observed by Alois Alzheimer in 1906. In this sense, the disease was co-discovered by Kraepelin and Alzheimer, who worked in Kraepelin’s laboratory. Because of the overwhelming importance Kraepelin attached to finding the neuropathological basis of psychiatric disorders, Kraepelin made the generous decision that the disease would bear Alzheimer’s name (J. Psychiat. Res., 1997, Vol 31, No. 6, pp. 635-643).
Familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD) is an uncommon form of Alzheimer’s disease that usually strikes earlier in life, defined as before the age of 65 (usually between 16 and 65 years of age) and is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion. It accounts for approximately half the cases of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Familial AD requires the patient to have at least two first degree relatives with a history of AD. Non-familial cases of AD are referred to as “sporadic” AD, but still involve genetic risk factors with unclear modes of inheritance. While early-onset familial AD is estimated to account for only 4-5% of total Alzheimer’s disease, it has presented a useful model in studying various aspects of the disorder. Moreover, the early-onset familial AD gene mutations guide the vast majority of therapeutic discovery and development for AD. The genetic causes of AD are summarized in “Decoding Darkness: The Search for the Genetics Causes of Alzheimer’s Disease” by Rudolph Tanzi and Ann Parson, Perseus Press, 2000
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