Who Is at Risk for Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) develops as a result of complex interactions among multiple risk factors, including:

• Advancing age is the greatest risk. After age 65, the chance of getting the disease doubles every five years, reaching 50 percent in adults age 85 and older.
• Women are at higher risk of developing AD. In fact, two-thirds of people over age 65 with AD are woman, which is partly due to the fact that women live longer than men.
• Having a family member with AD makes it more likely that one will get AD. Much of the risk is due to a protein found in the blood and brain called APOE-4
• Certain medical illnesses, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, are linked to AD.
• Stress, head trauma and obesity were also reported to be associated with AD.

For more information on healthy lifestyle choices, visit ccf.org/brainhealth.