Vital Link | fall 2008

When Alzheimer’s Strikes
Early in Life

Alzheimer’s disease is normally associated with aging. Risk for the condition climbs after age 65. However, up to 10 percent of people with this disease develop symptoms in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. This is called early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Some people have genes that increase their risk. One study looked at families of older people with Alzheimer’s. About one-fourth had at least one member with the early-onset form. However, most young patients have a more common type of Alzheimer’s that doesn’t include genetic risk factors.

There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but medication helps delay the development of symptoms— which may include forgetting how to do familiar tasks such as balancing your checkbook and getting lost on your way home or after taking another frequent route.

If you experience any of these symptoms or have similar memory problems, contact Donald Schmechel, M.D., the neurologist and memory specialist at The Falls Neurology & Memory Center, at 828-757-5040. The Falls Neurology & Memory Center is in the same building as The Falls Medical Park, on Highway 321 in Granite Falls.