Alzheimer’s Disease is an unfortunate fact of life for many retirees and older adults due to its impact on every aspect of a sufferer’s life. But much research has been directed towards finding the exact cause of the disorder and a new study may have made an important forward step in that quest. The study showed that arterial stiffness has a negative impact on the brain and is connected to the release of the protein that accumulates in the brain and causes the disease. This stiffening, along with other conditions such as atherosclerosis and strokes, can develop as early as one’s early 40’s as a result of high systolic blood pressure. Researchers showed some surprise that they were able to identify damage at such an early age and expressed hope that new treatments and prevention methods may be derived from this knowledge. Hopefully this discovery is just the latest forward progress to be made in combating the scourge that is Alzheimer’s.
See David DiSalvo, Study: Early Links To Alzheimer’s Can Appear In Your 40s, Forbes, March 29, 2016.
Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.
