Alzheimer's Disease: What Increases Your Risk
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What Increases Your Risk
The main factor that raises your risk for Alzheimer's disease is getting older. About 6 out of 100 people over 65 years and 35 out of 100 people over 85 years have some form of dementia.1 People rarely have dementia before age 60. Other factors that increase your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease include:
- A family history of Alzheimer's disease, especially if one or more of your parents or siblings has the disease.
- The presence of the apolipoprotein E-4 gene, which increases the chances you will develop Alzheimer's disease.
- Having Down syndrome, which is a genetic disorder that results in mental retardation.
- Having diabetes, which is a condition that causes high blood sugar.
- Taking hormone replacement therapy. Research indicates if you are a woman aged 65 or older, your risk for developing dementia (including Alzheimer's disease) increases if you take estrogen plus progestin therapy.3
| Last updated: | November 15, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Ralph Poore |
| Reviewed By: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Peter J. Whitehouse, MD - Neurology |
| Editors: | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman |
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