Is Alzheimer’s hereditary?
Senile dementia and Alzheimer’s are not the same condition. Senile dementia is now an outdated term used to describe the gradual deterioration in memory and thinking that occurs in older people. This is due to the tiny blood vessels in the brain getting blocked or narrowed over time and not working properly. As a result, tiny bits of the brain are starved of food and oxygen and stop working properly. This is most noticeable when it affects the parts of the brain involved in memory. It is now usually called vascular dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is quite different, although the result is often similar: poor memory and difficulties in thinking clearly. It’s not clear why people develop Alzheimer’s, but it’s known that people with it have proteins in their brain neurones that stop them from working properly. There is a genetic link, but it’s more complicated than something that’s inherited. It’s likely there is an environmental element as well. The fact that your mother and her sister hav
