Chinese doctors diagnose the youngest patient in the world with Alzheimer’s disease

He began suffering from amnesia at the age of 17, and his cognitive decline has only gotten worse over the years. Now that this young Chinese man has reached the age of 19, it seems that doctors have finally figured out what ailment he is. It is nothing but Alzheimer’s disease.

this diagnosis, Published in the journal Alzheimer’s Disease Journalcompletely breaking the traditional age-related schemes at which this effect usually appears, which until now was restricted to the elderly, according to researchers from Xuanwu University Hospital in Beijing.

Typical features of Alzheimer’s disease

The patient had typical features of Alzheimer’s disease, including memory loss and atrophy of the hippocampus, a shrinkage that is an early sign of the disease. But this outcome was difficult to accept as a teenager, so it’s time to rule out other possibilities.

“[El estudio] He suggests paying attention to early Alzheimer’s disease. “Exploring the mysteries of young people with this disease may become one of the most difficult scientific questions in the future,” the authors said in a statement. “This effect is a rare form of dementia that affects people under the age of 65 and accounts for between 5 and 10 percent of all cases.

Experts explain that almost all patients under the age of 30 have pathological genetic mutations. To date, the youngest known person diagnosed was a 21-year-old who carried a mutation in the PSEN1 gene, which causes abnormal proteins to build up in the brain, forming clumps of toxic plaque,

However, the Chinese patient differs from previous cases because no genetic changes were identified. None of his family members had a history of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, and the teen had no illnesses, infections, or head injuries that could explain his sudden cognitive decline.

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Two years prior to the hospital consultation, the patient had begun to have difficulty concentrating in high school classes. Researchers recall that his condition worsened a year later, when he began experiencing apparent short-term memory loss.

She could not remember the events of the previous day or where her belongings were stored, and had difficulty reading. In addition, their reactions are delayed. His holding power gradually declined. She often does not remember whether she ate or not and cannot finish her homework. He even had to drop out of school.

abnormal results

Their results were abnormal on the Verbal Auditory Learning Test, a widely used test to assess losses in immediate recall, short-term recall after three minutes, and prolonged delayed recall after 30 minutes, say neurologists at Xuanwu Hospital.

Tests indicated that his memory was significantly affected. Their extensive recall score was 82 percent lower than other young adults their age, while their immediate memory score was 87 percent lower.

The researchers believe that long-term follow-up is necessary to support the boy’s diagnosis, but his medical team hypothesizes that the patient is changing his “understanding of the typical age of onset for Alzheimer’s disease,” concluded the team led by neurologist Jianpeng Jia.

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