ALZHEIMERS NEWS-RISK GENE FOR LATE ONSET ALZHEIMERS DISEASE
about 25% of americans carry the single gene apoe 4
this makes them at a 3-5 times increased risk for developing late onset alzheimers disease
about 3% of americans carry the double gene or homozygous gene apoe 4/apoe 4
this makes them at a 10-20 times increased risk for developing late onset alzheimers disease
this is probably why i have mild cognitive impairment due to alzheimers disease
i am apoe 4/apoe 4
the apoe 4 gene affects lipid transports in the brain
think cholesterol and fats
add family history high blood pressure and high cholesterol to my risk factors
thats why i got it
should you be tested for apoe 4
yes
no
maybe
yes
if you are like me and want to know where you are with your brain status
i wanted to know as much as i could about where i stand so i can decide what to do with my life
i tested apoe 4 amyloid pet scans for amyloid a spinal tap for amyloid and tau
so
i know i have it and can use statistics to see when it will totally take me over
probably if i am lucky in my late 70s or early 80s
unless of course all the healthy stuff i am doing and the fact that aduhelm removed all the amyloid plaque from my brain may slow it down more
no
if you will have increased anxiety about knowing
getting it a positive apoe 4 gene can reek havoc on obtaining life insurance and long term care insurance and probably disability insurance
some think it might affect getting hired for jobs such as high cognitive ones
if its done on the record on your health records it is there forever
some people pay out of pocket to have it done and not let it be entered in their medical records
the problem in having it done and not understanding what it means can cause a lot of stress
but
for me
i wanted to know
maybe
knowing will incentivize folks to better take care of their health
doing all the healthy things one should do
this doing all the healthy things can actually neutralize if you will the effects of having the apoe 4 gene
not doing anything about your health if you carry the gene increases the odds you will get alzheimers disease and it will be sooner and worse for you
i read about folks that were tested and it created lots of anxiety in their lives when they found out they were positive
note i got my long term care insurance a few years before i was diagnosed and tested for amyloid plaques and apoe 4 status
i also already had life insurance already
i also had health insurance already
i had disability insurance that ended up paying for 6 years until i reached 67
if it wasnt for the obamacare rules i would be uninsurable if i was not on medicare
if they change the obamacare rules on preexisting conditions then i wouldnt be able to get insurance if i was not on medicare
so would i do it when i was younger
back when i was 50 i probably wouldnt have since i didnt really understand what it meant
now i do
i didnt have my long term care then but did have life insurance health insurance and disability insurance
now i would not only get my apoe 4 gene test but would try to be tested for amyloid plaques asap
watching closely all the research treating folks with amyloid plaques and no symptoms with the new monoclonal antibodies leqembi and donanemab
right now that early treatment is only being done in clinical research
soon within 2-5 years a blood test just as accurate as the amyloid pet scan will be available
if its positive an amyloid pet scan or a spinal tap will be used to verify the blood test
soon a treatment for tau tangles in the brain and inflammation in the brain will be available
hopefully i wont be to far gone to get those treatments
medicine will be treating amyloid plaques to prevent alzheimers like they do cholesterol levels now to prevent heart attacks and strokes later in life
so if i was 50 now
i am talking about me knowing what i know now
i would get my apoe 4 gene tested since i undertand what it really means
it doesnt mean you get alzheimers but you are at an increased risk for it
i would get an amyloid blood test when it becomes available
if its positive i would do an amyloid pet scan to be sure
then if it was available for this prealzheimers i would start treatment with leqembi or donanemab
if not available yet i would seek a clinical trials treating prealzheimers or asymptomatic patients
then
i would do all the healthy things
avoid polluted areas to live
dont smoke
dont drink or limit drinking
avoid stress and control anxiety ans depression
get adequate sleep
eat a mind diet
listen to music
stay active physically socially mentally
meditate or do relaxing things
control cholesterol blood pressure blood sugars and weight
later when it becomes available i would seek out tau tangle and inflammation treatment
i predict in 10 years many of you will be doing this when you get in your 50s
why not start all the healthy living and start you kids doing healthy living on the day they are born
i plan to repeat this advice on a regular basis since new people start reading my blog each week
i want them to know what we all know
i want to reinforce all of this to the rest of you
so start now
the organicgreen doctor
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