Alzheimers Down Syndrome

Research has shown that individuals with Down syndrome due to certain excess genetic material have a higher risk of acquiring many illnesses and diseases, one of which is Alzheimer's. Individuals with Down syndrome also show signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's much earlier in life than the general population who experienced symptoms typically in their mid sixties.

It is estimated that over twenty five percent of individuals with Down syndrome will have the symptoms of this disease after the age of thirty five. It is also estimated that all people with Down syndrome will have the characteristic changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease by the age of forty.

 Ages of Behavioral Changes in People with Down Syndrome

While the brain in individuals with Down syndrome show the characteristics of Alzheimer's, it is not inevitable that everyone with Down syndrome will actually acquire the symptoms of this disease.

The brain of individuals with Down syndrome shows the changes which are commonly found in Alzheimer's by the age of forty however, the behavioral changes which typically take place with this disease do not manifest themselves until the average age of fifty four. In some cases individuals with Downs have lived well into their sixties and seventies showing no signs of Alzheimer's behavior.

The Possible Reasons why Alzheimer's is common in People with Down Syndrome

One of the possibilities why there is such a strong connection with Alzheimer's and Downs is that people with Down syndrome physically age twenty to thirty years faster than the general population. Therefore, the vital organs including the brain age prematurely which could be a factor in the onset of Alzheimer's.

There is also a connection between abnormal characteristics of a particular chromosome which is found in all people with Down syndrome which speeds up the changes in the brain that contribute to Alzheimer's disease.