The actor known for the role of Thor has announced a hiatus from cinema after the discovery. He’s not sick and has no symptoms, but let’s see what it means to be genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s
At 39, Chris Hemsworth has taken a break from filmmaking after discovering “a predisposition to Alzheimer’s”. The actor protagonist of Thor ed Extractionone of Hollywood’s most beloved stars, said in an interview with Vanity Fair that he’s going to stop acting for a while so he can go home and spend more time with his wife and kids. Hemsworth’s is not a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s nor a certainty of developing the disease in the future, but only information about the composition of his DNA which makes him more likely than others to develop the disease in the future.
The predisposition of the actor
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As the actor himself explained, from genetic tests performed for the docuseries Limitless it has emerged that the composition of his DNA includes two copies of the APOE4 gene, one from the mother and the other from the father, which several scientific studies have linked to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s. According to statistics, one in four people carry a single copy of the genebut based on a 2021 survey by the US National Institute of Health only 2-3% of the population has both and thus sees the chances of encountering the most common form of dementia increasing considerably.
damage caused by Alzheimer’s
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Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease that progressively kills nerve cells, especially those in the areas of the brain that regulate learning and memory processes. In the world it affects about 40 million people and alone in Italy there are about a million casesfor the most part over 60. “The progression of the disease can have very different times, making the patient less and less able to carry out even the simplest daily actions, depriving him of his independence, until he no longer recognizes his family members,” he explains. Alfredo Berardelli, president of the Italian Society of Neurology (SIN) and Full Professor of Neurology at the Sapienza University of Rome -. The brain is damaged at different levels: in addition to the degeneration of the nerve cells, a state of cerebral inflammation is also determined. The main symptom of patients affected by this disease is initially the short-term memory loss“.
Growing cases and symptoms
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Over the age of 80, the disease affects one in four elderly people and the numbers are destined to grow due to the progressive aging of the population, especially in developing countries. “Alzheimer’s is one sneaky disease that silently enters people’s lives and then overwhelms them completely: it leads to a total loss of autonomy in patients, with a great commitment from the family which play a very important role of constant care – underlines Berardelli -. Patients with Alzheimer’s initially show symptoms such as memory deficit, especially for recent eventsand subsequently speech disorders, loss of spatial and temporal orientationprogressive loss of autonomy in the functions of daily life that we define as “dementia”. They often join together afterwards psychological and behavioral problems, such as depression, emotional incontinence, delusions, agitation, wandering, which make it necessary to constantly look after the patient, with a great burden for the family members who play a very important role”.
Care and familiarity
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Alzheimer’s disease is distinguished in family formwhich depends on the presence of genetic mutations and represents about 10% of cases (generally manifesting before 60-65 years of age), and sporadic form, responsible for the remaining 90% of cases for which age remains the main risk factor. “Although she is not genetically induced, a family predisposition has been detected – explains the SIN president-. Unfortunately there is still no real and effective prevention and much is still being studied to find effective therapies. THE currently available drugs I’m able to improve symptoms of the disease and of temporarily slow down its progression. Other medicines make it possible to control the most disabling symptoms such as depression, sleep and behavioral disorders (delusions, hallucinations, agitation), but much remains to be done”.
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