Five million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s, a cure is still unattainable, this disease kills more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined, and the number of deaths have increased by 89% since 2000 (Alzheimer’s Association). “How do we cure Alzheimer’s” is a loaded question, meaning multiple questions need to be asked and answered before the big question could ever be answered. Questions like “What is Alzheimer’s?”, “What genes are involved in this disease?”, and “How early can we catch and treat Alzheimer’s today?” need to be answered. The only way our society can cure Alzheimer’s, or even find a better treatment, we must be able to understand every aspect of the disease. The first question that should be …show more content…
This question alone is tough to answer due to the fact that AD is still not completely understood. The effects the disease has on the human brain is obvious and familiar, the causes remain a mystery. Scientists currently believe that the cause of Alzheimer’s is a combination of genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors. This combination includes age, cardiac and vascular health, sex, social isolation, sleep, anesthesia, head trauma, and stress. Age is the number one risk factor; after age 65, the risk of developing AD doubles every 5 years. Some data suggests that more women are diagnosed with AD than men, however, this number may be affected by the fact that women tend to live longer than men, but on the other hand, recent research suggests that estrogen and menopause may be involved in raising the risk for AD (curealz.org). Depression, sleep deprivation and stress are all possible factors as well. In studies with animal models, stress has been shown to accelerate the disease (curealz.org). The isoflurane in inhalant anesthesia may accelerate Alzheimer’s, but there is not enough evidence to stop production. Traumatic brain injury has also been linked to Alzheimer’s, as well as Parkinson’s and chronic traumatic