RISK FACTORS FOR DEVELOPING ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE: OTHER POSSIBLE FACTORS
One potential cause is a past head injury that resulted in unconsciousness. There is a direct link here between the changes that are found in the brain of some boxers who develop neurofibrillary tangles, and the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. At the moment the evidence is probably insufficient to link firmly head injury with the development of this type of dementia, but this evidence is slowly accumulating. The families of people with Alzheimer’s disease are often worried that the disease has been caused because the brain has been worn out by excessive use or conversely, that it has wasted away because of too little use. There is no evidence at all to indicate that either of these possibilities is true.
Environmental toxins have been linked to certain conditions. Parkinson’s disease which, like Alzheimer’s, is caused by degenerative processes within the brain, has been linked in a specific sub-group of sufferers to a toxin that is present in the environment. A group of drug abusers inadvertently dosed themselves with a substance called MPTP. Unfortunately it proved to be very toxic to those parts of the brain which if damaged lead to Parkinson’s disease. The substance was discovered because doctors in America began to wonder why Parkinson’s disease suddenly seemed to be occurring in patients who were forty or fifty years younger than the age group that normally suffers from it.
The chemical structure of MPTP has been well characterized and it is known to be similar to other chemicals, including some weedkillers. Although it is unlikely that Parkinson’s disease is actually caused by toxic chemicals introduced into the environment, this possibility needs to be eliminated. Since Alzheimer’s disease is also a chronic degenerative condition of the brain, the search is on for toxic substances, other than aluminium, which might be responsible. So far there is no obvious candidate.
There have been, and probably will continue to be, other factors under investigation as potential causes of Alzheimer’s disease. The quality of the scientific evidence in support of many that have evoked much interest in the media has been poor and the hypotheses associated with them have died, either for lack of proof or because under careful scrutiny the evidence has been discredited. Although it is extremely important that the search proceeds for environmental agents that might contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease, it is equally important that we don’t jump to the wrong conclusions too readily.
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