My mother was diagnosed with early onset AD at age 52, what are my chances?

Hi Caroline,

Thanks for sharing your concerns. It sounds like you are taking many smart steps to staying healthy -- for yourself and your family.

I want to share part of an interview with a Mayo Clinic expert, a neuropsychologist named Glenn E. Smith.

He talked specifically but briefly about whether to get genetic testing, if early on-set Alzheimer's runs in the family and wrote this:

"That's a personal decision that only you can make. There are pros and cons to genetic testing. Anyone who's considering it should never proceed without genetic counseling — to examine these pros and cons beforehand."

While Dr. Smith's response does not address even half of your questions, most of which do not have definitive answers, I thought the genetic counseling recommendation made a lot of sense.

You can read the entire interview here:

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/AZ/00009.html

Best wishes,
Sarah

Hi, Caroline -

 

I, too, worry about getting Alzheimer's disease (although not early onset) since it seems that everyone on my mother's side of the family had this awful disease.

 

I'm not qualified to make specific recommendations related to what to add to or delete from your life (although it seems from what you said that you have consciously built a very healthy lifestyle that is allowing you to lead a full life).

 

My one recommendation is that, if you haven't done so already, you find a primary care doctor that you truly can work with in developing what I call a "wellness partnership." Once that partnership is established, have some conversations with him/her about your concerns, about what you are doing presently health-wise, and about what you should be doing related not only to early onset Alzheimer's but to other illnesses that you might have a propensity for.

 

Keep up the thoughtful steps related to your health!

 

Dorian