Dementia And Genetics

By Jack Morgan


In most cases, people who have been diagnosed with dementia presume that the disease may have possibly been inherited. They then believe that there is a high chance of passing it to their children. There is no need to go by this believe even after many family members with dementia still take it as something that their kin and most of their family members will develop.

This article will talk about early onset dementia. This is a type of this condition that is caused by hereditary and genetics problems. This form of dementia tends to cluster within family members. Because of that reason, this disease is commonly known as familial disease. When you have this disease, you should know that you get the hereditary disease. This early onset dementia is commonly cased by the mutation of some genes. There are several genes involved in this situation, such as Amyloid Precursor Protein Gene (APP), Presenilin Genes 1 and Presenilin Genes 2. These genes mutate in people with this disease.

The dementia disease can only be thought to be inheritable if one of the family members is diagnosed with Huntington's disease. It is good for patient and family members to understand that this case is very rare.

It is rare because Huntington's disease is considered to be 'autosomal dominant'. This scientifically refers to a condition whereby dementia disease can only be inherited if there is an existence of a single gene that is faulty.

In most cases, dementia signals as a signal to Alzheimer's disease. Most Alzheimer's sufferers experience vascular dementia which is one of the forms of dementia associated with occurrence of strokes. There are four genes that have been identified and connected with the development of the disease. Three of them affect younger people while one affects older people. People with these genes resulting from family members with an early onset are highly susceptible to developing the condition in their late ages. However, these genes are rare and are transmitted from the parent to their children on a 50 percent basis. This means probably half of the children in a family could have the condition.

They are several types of early onset dementia problems. All of them are caused by mutated genes in certain families. These diseases can be called as hereditary situation. It means that you are able to get these diseases from your parents. All early onset dementia problems are caused by mutated genes.

The best step people should take is to know about their family history even after understanding that it is not mandatory hereditary. If you have a clue about your family history, you will be in a position to predict what may happen in future. Research done at various institutions has been able to establish if the right family history is analysed, a doctor can be able to inform you about the chances of inheriting or passing it to your children.

This is the answer for people who ask, "Is Dementia Hereditary?". Some dementia problems are caused by hereditary problems. These problems are usually called as early onset dementia. Some other dementia situations are caused by losing brain's function. Therefore, you should talk to your doctors to find the real answer for your dementia.

Family are being called across the world to visit different Dementia centres. As shown above, the autosomal dominant that has to do with mutation could cause dementia disease. If you have any family member who has Huntington's disease or fronto-temporal dementia is good to get involved in the research. There is no need to worry much about inheriting or passing the disease to your children and other family because it has different causes.




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