Who’s at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects an estimated 5.8 million people in the United States. While Alzheimer’s disease isn’t something you can prevent, there are changes you can make in your life right now that might help you lower your risk.

At Revolution Psychiatric and Addiction Treatment, our founder, Richard Repass, MD, specializes in diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s disease and other neuropsychiatric disorders.

Dr. Repass uses innovative BR+NAD™ therapy to boost neurotransmitter production in your brain and enhance your brain function to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s. Here, he offers some insight into Alzheimer’s disease and provides strategies to reduce your risk for developing the condition.

An overview of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease describes a degeneration of your brain that is progressive and irreversible. As your brain breaks down, changes occur in your memory, cognition, and personality. These changes can cause a wide variety of symptoms that affect your quality of life, such as:

• Depression
• Delusions
• Mood swings
• Sleep disturbances
• Loss of inhibitions
• Withdrawal from family and friends

Alzheimer’s disease can affect life skills like reading, remembering events of the past, singing, and doing creative activities.

The progression of the disease also interferes with essential body functions, such as balance and swallowing, and ultimately leads to death when your brain fails completely.

Understanding the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease

The underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease isn’t well understood. There is evidence that your genetic background, your lifestyle, and the environment you live in all play a role in your brain health.

Some common risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease include:

• Age
• Being female
• Experiencing head trauma
• Excessive use of alcohol

You might be at increased risk for Alzheimer’s if you have underlying health conditions that aren’t well-controlled, such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.

There are also proteins that damage the neurons in your brain. Certain proteins can cluster together to form a plaque or get tangled together and disrupt communication between your brain cells.

Damage typically starts in the area of your brain that plays a role in your memory. Brain damage then spreads to other regions of your brain. In advanced stages, Alzheimer’s disease results in significant shrinking of your brain.

Lowering your risk for Alzheimer’s disease

Living a healthy lifestyle is important not only for your long-term health but for reducing your risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.

We recommend exercising regularly to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. You should  also focus on incorporating more fresh produce and low-fat foods into your diet.

If you have underlying medical conditions, continue working with your doctor to keep them well-controlled with medications and other therapies. If you smoke, ask for resources to help you quit.

You can also engage in thinking exercises and activities, like playing board games, reading, and other activities that keep you social.

Getting help for symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease

Get any concerning symptoms, such as memory problems or cognitive dysfunction, properly evaluated as soon as possible. We offer neuropsychiatric exams in-office to better understand how your brain is functioning and determine if you have risks for Alzheimer’s disease.

If Dr. Repass diagnoses you with Alzheimer’s or another neuropsychiatric condition, he can determine if you’re a candidate for BR+NAD therapy to slow the progression of your disease and help boost your brain function.

To find out more about treatment options for Alzheimer’s disease, call us at Revolution Psychiatric and Addiction Treatment in Mercer Island, Washington, or schedule a consultation online today.