Alzheimer’s Disease: Pathogenesis and Clinical Findings

Risk factor for Late Onset Alzheimer's (99% of cases):

 - Increasing age

 - Apolipoprotein E4 allele

Risk factors for Early Onset Alzheimer's (1% of cases):

 - Amyloid precursor protein mutations

 - Presenilin 1 and 2 gene mutations

 - Down syndrome (amyloid precursor protein on chromosome 21)

Signs / Symptoms / Complications:

 • Deficit in episodic and semantic memory

 • Aphasia, word-finding difficulties and paraphrasic errors

 • Loss of orientation to time and place

 • Executive planning dysfunction: visuospatial abnormalities, anosognosia

 • Inattention and lack of concentration

 • Motor dysfunction: myoclonic seizure, primitive reflexes, incontinence, apraxia

 • Neuropsychiatric: delusions, apathy, irritability, aggression



#AlzheimersDisease #Dementia #pathophysiology #geriatrics #diagnosis #signs #symptoms