Is Alzheimer’s a hereditary disease? No, it is not normally hereditary. The cause is therefore not to be found in one’s genetic heritage. Having some Alzheimer’s patients in your family does not mean you are destined to get sick, because in the majority of cases there is no genetic origin.
When Alzheimer’s is a hereditary disease: the Spanish study
But now researchers at the Sant Pau Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain have discovered that almost all people with two pairs of a particular gene, called APOE4, will develop symptoms of the disease.
Until now, those who experienced this situation increased the risk tenfold. Now it has been understood that it is a sign of a practically certain pathology. You can read the details of the study in the scientific journal Nature Medicine.
2% of the population has this double copy of genes
The research team analyzed data from more than 10,000 people, finding that more than 95 percent of people 65 and older with this gene pair had signs of Alzheimer’s. Among other things, these people develop the disease earlier than those who don’t have it.
Experts say this discovery is particularly important because about 2% of the population has this double pair of this gene. It goes without saying that they could become the ideal people to include in tests to identify a possible treatment.
Alzheimer’s is a hereditary disease: how the APOE gene works
The APOE gene comes in three different variants: APOE2, APOE3 e APOE4. Everyone carries two copies of APOE, one inherited from each parent. Previous studies have shown that having at least one APOE4 genetic variant almost triples the risk of contracting the disease.
The new study showed that by age 65, almost all people who had two copies of APOE4 also had very high levels of the amyloid protein in the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, one of the main signs of Alzheimer’s.
Generally the people in question both parents had Alzheimer’s disease. Now the experts’ intention is to always keep them under monitoring and start treating them soon, because we know that they will get worse quickly.