Alzheimer’s: A Natural Part Of The Aging Process?

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Earlier this week, I received an e-mail inquiry from WEGO Health inviting my participation in educating folks about AD and also challenging and dispelling one of the many myths that involve dementia and AD.  I choose to write about  was this one and submit a copy of my response to them.

Is Alzheimer’s a natural part of the aging process?

Patently false. In a nutshell.
This is just one of the many misguided and untruthful myths that has been swirling around for decades.

The World Health Organization 2012 Report entitled, Dementia: A Public Health Priority, had this to say about dementia (of which Alzheimer’s is but one type):

“The world’s population is aging. Improvements in health care in the past century have contributed to people living longer and healthier lives. However, this has also resulted in an increase in the number of people with non communicable diseases, including dementia. Although dementia mainly affects older people, it is not a normal part of aging (Italics added).  Dementia is a syndrome, usually of a chronic or progressive nature, caused by a variety of brain illnesses that affect memory, thinking, behavior and ability to perform everyday activities.”

The presence of this false belief worldwide serves as a roadblock to obtaining a timely diagnosis, appropriate medical treatment and helpful medications for the affected individual and educational guidance for families and caregivers.

Chapter One of the same WHO 2012 Report disclosed the following:

“There is a lack of awareness and understanding of dementia, at some level, in most countries. It is often considered to be a normal part of aging or a condition for which nothing can be done. This affects people with dementia, their caregivers and families, and their support structure in a number of ways. Low awareness levels contribute to stigmatization and isolation. Poor understanding creates barriers to timely diagnosis and to accessing ongoing medical and social care, leading to a large gap in treatment.”

The propensity for developing AD does increase with age, particularly so from age 85 onward, but it is by no means a certainty. In March of  this year, the Alzheimer’s Association released a report entitled, 2012 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts And Figures.

The following statistics were cited:
One in eight people age 65 and older (13 percent) has Alzheimer’s Disease.
Nearly half of people age 85 and older (45 percent) have Alzheimer’s Disease.

These numbers are sobering but do not support the myth that Dementia /Alzheimer’s is a normal part of aging.

What is needed is further education about the facts underlying dementia and its nearly 70 variations including  Alzheimer's. Education leads to empowerment and better choices about diagnosis, treatment and obtaining the best medications.

Two recent bright spot articles appeared in the online resource, Science Daily. Both featured studies  focusing on  older citizens who seemed to somehow be protected from the degradation of dementia.

The first article entitled, Resistance to Dementia May Run in the Family, was published on August 15th 2012. A small study of 277 male veterans that had been conducted by Dr. Jeremy M. Silverman of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. The finding revealed that people who are free of dementia and  who have higher levels of what is called C-reactive protein have relatives who are more likely to avoid the disease as well. A protective genetic element appears to be the underlying finding here.

The second article entitled, Secrets of ‘Super-Ager’ Brains: Elderly Super-Agers Have Brains That Look and Act Decades Younger Than Their Age, was published on August 16th 2012. A study conducted by Emily Rogalski, Assistant Research Professor at the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, identified a unique and perhaps, elite group of people age 80 and older who possess memories as sharp as people 20 to 30 years younger than them. In addition, brain scans disclosed that the outer layer of the brain, known as the Cortex, of these study participants closely resembled the cortex size of people between the ages of 50 to 65.

Something, as yet undiscovered and understood, seems to have conferred some kind of aging immunity to these select few seniors.

Finally, and again, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are collectively not part of the normal  aging process.

For more information, visit the following web sites:
Alzheimer’s Association  www.alz.org
Alzheimer’s Reading Room  www.alzheimersreasdingroom.com
Dementia Weekly  www.alzheimersweekly.com


Jeff Dodson
August 30th 2012