Every 21st September sees World Alzheimer’s Awareness Day marked. This terrible disease is sadly all too common, with over 55 million sufferers globally. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for around 60-80% of all cases worldwide. Despite its infamy, there is a perhaps surprising amount to learn about Alzheimer’s, including some quite basic facts which are often overlooked.

Common Misconceptions About Alzheimer’s Disease

1. Alzheimer’s is a normal part of aging – The greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer’s are 65 and older. However, Alzheimer’s disease is not normal, and not always associated with particularly advanced age. This type of dementia is considered to be younger-onset Alzheimer’s if it affects a person under 65. Younger-onset can also be referred to as early-onset Alzheimer’s. People with younger-onset Alzheimer’s can be in the early, middle or even late stage of the disease.
2. There is no treatment for Alzheimer’s disease – Alzheimer’s is incurable, but not untreatable. There are actually two recognised medicinal treatments — donanemab and lecanemab. Their effectiveness demonstrates that removing beta-amyloid, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, from the brain, reduces cognitive and functional decline in people living with early Alzheimer’s.
3. Alzheimer’s disease can’t be diagnosed before symptoms appear – Whilst this remains partially true, rapid and major progress is being made in this area. Several potential biomarkers are being studied for their ability to indicate early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Indeed, biomarkers are considering a promising avenue in identifying Alzheimer’s before the symptoms even begin to appear.

Reducing the Risk of Alzheimer’s

Although the precise cause of Alzheimer’s disease is still yet to be identified, risk reduction strategies are known. The NHS advises that, since there appears to be an overlap between Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease risk factors, lifestyle changes and choices made to reduce the risk of heart disease can also reduce that of Alzheimer’s. What do some of those changes look like? Stopping smoking, reducing alcohol intake, and increasing the amount of cardiovascular exercise you do, are all options, amongst others.

Socialising can reduce Alzheimer’s risk

However, some risk factors for Alzheimer’s are more subtle. For instance, loneliness and a lack of social interaction are both considered as risks. This emphasises the importance of remaining socially active into later life. Not to mention that, since low mood and a lack of new experiences are both linked to increased Alzheimer’s risk, the variety and joy which socialising can bring has a double benefit.

Without a cure, prevention, in the form of risk reduction, is highly important in the fight against Alzheimer’s.