Alzheimer’s is the disease associated with age that has the largest genetic component, 70% to 80%. Photographee.eu/Adobe Stock
DECRYPTION – Described almost 120 years ago, this pathology which affects more than 1 million French people still keeps many of its secrets.
Described in 1906, Alzheimer’s disease affects more than 1 million people in France and is thought to be involved in 60% to 70% of dementia syndromes. The proportion of patients by age group tends to fall in rich countries, but the aging of the population will lead to a sharp increase in the prevalence of the disease. By 2050, 139 million people could be living with Alzheimer’s or related disease, compared to 55 million today. Research, therapies, care and prevention: Le Figaro make the point.
Research: growing complexity
There was little research on Alzheimer’s disease immediately after its discovery, as it was considered a rare disease, and it only really intensified around the 1970s, when it was realized that it affected many the elderly. The Bavarian doctor Alois Alzheimer had already described the presence of amyloid plaques (an extracellular accumulation of small proteins) and neurofibrillary degeneration…
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