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1. Definition of Early Dementia
What is pre-existing dementia?
Early dementia refers to dementia that occurs in people under the age of 65. Dementia is most common in people over the age of 65 as it is known as a geriatric disease, but patients with early dementia also account for about 10% of all dementia patients. The number of early-onset Alzheimer's disease patients is also increasing considerably compared to the past.
2. The ApoE4 gene and Alzheimer's disease
What is the ApoE4 gene that increases the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease?
The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, which is said to have genes that increase the prevalence of Alzheimer's. One of them is the ApoE4 gene. ApoE* is divided into E2, E3, and E4 genotypes, and if you inherit the gene one by one from your parents, a total of six combinations can be created. The prevalence of Alzheimer's disease triples when one parent inherits ApoE4 compared to the general population, and 15-fold increases when two parents inherit ApoE4.
*ApoE: A type of apoprotein composed of fat and protein, which is involved in fat metabolism.
Less than 10% of people are known to carry the ApoE4 gene. One thing to note is that even if you have a 15-fold prevalence of Alzheimer's disease with the ApoE4 gene, it is only a statistical tally of the prevalence of lung cancer in smokers and liver cancer in drinkers, and not necessarily dementia because you have the ApoE4 gene. If you have a history of dementia in your family, it's okay to have a genetic test as a precaution, but it's not recommended to do it simply because you're curious about whether you're going to develop dementia.
3. Precursor symptoms of early dementia
How can you tell the signs of early dementia?
You've probably heard of symptoms related to cognitive function, such as memory loss and forgetfulness. Younger people with dementia before the age of 65 may experience loss of confidence and emotional withdrawal when they experience memory loss or difficulty concentrating. Compared to other patients with senile dementia, they also have many problems related to emotional regulation, such as excessive anger or extreme personality changes. From the outside, this can be mistaken for another psychological problem, but it would be better to suspect it as a sign of dementia.
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