I can remember a co-worker who
always said getting old was better than the alternative. She did have a solid
point.
Unfortunately getting older does
have its pitfalls. A good day can be defined as one when something isn’t
aching. It seems that the older we get the harder it is to jump out of bed in
the morning. I tend to drag myself out of bed and head toward the coffee pot.
After the first cup and a few stretches, I feel almost human again.
It scares me to think that I’m the
age now when Alzheimer’s isn’t even considered early (or younger) onset. Nope.
I’m solidly into the age where if it happens, it falls into the statistical
data as the ages of greater vulnerability.
Although Alzheimer’s is a disease
and not a normal part of aging, age is still the biggest risk factor. If that
news wasn’t bad enough, two-thirds of the Americans living with Alzheimer’s are
women.
A gene called APOE (apolipoprotein
E) regulates lipid metabolism. Less than five percent of the population has
APOE2. This gene lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s. The most common variant is
APOE3 which does not affect risk of the disease.
The culprit is the e4 version that
increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Most of us don’t know whether we
carry the e4 version of APOE. Jim’s neurologist asked to do genetic testing on
Jim and I gave permission. He had one copy of APOE4 and one APOE3.
Gender further increases risk,
especially for women. A study at Stanford University Medical Center in
California used brain-imaging studies to determine that a woman with one copy
of APOE4 has a much greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s than a male with one
copy.
A study at the University of
California found that women with a genetic predisposition to develop Alzheimer’s
disease do so at an escalated rate between the ages of 65 and 75. It is
believed that the reason the risk increases for women in this age bracket is because
menopause and decreased estrogen begin at about 51.
If you inherit two copies of the
APOE4 gene, your risk is even greater. This too, is not a complete determinant
since some who have two copies do not have Alzheimer’s and some who don’t have
the e4 version have Alzheimer’s.
People whose parents have dementia often
fear developing dementia in their older years. My dad died when he was my age,
but my ninety-year-old mother is as sharp as ever. I believe part of Mom’s
success is that she is active and takes almost no medications. In fact, we’re
pretty sure she’s in better health than my siblings and I are.
The good news is that APOE4 isn’t a
doomsday diagnosis. The bad news is that I have entered the ten-year period
when women experience a leap in developing Alzheimer’s disease. More good news
is that I at least plan to stay active like my mom. My goal in life is to find
that fountain of youth she found and drink my fill.
Copyright © October 2017 by L.S.
Fisher
#ENDALZ
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