(July 16, 2014 at 4:35 pm)BlackMason Wrote: Is alzheimers hereditery?
Nobody has determined an exact cause of Alzheimer's; however, a gentic component is suspected. Researchers have concluded that a particular gene does elevate the risk of developing Alzheimer's, but even that's not definitive since not everyone with the particular inherited gene develops Alzheimer's and some people develop Alzheimer's without that specific gene. The gene is called APOE 4 and is associated with chromosome 19.
In fact, doctor's typically use noncommittal language regarding diagnosis since we can't be sure until the brain is autopsied.