The micron stroke hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Alzheimer's disease as currently described in the medical literature is often more a description of dementia rather than a specific disease. In over a century of scientific work there has been no proven theory as to the precise pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. As there is no efficient treatment for patients with Alzheimer's disease, prevention or attenuation of the disease is of substantial value. An intricate collection of hypotheses, studies, research, and experience has made it complicated for one to completely understand this disease. The purpose of this hypothesis is to illustrate new concepts and work to link those concepts to the present understanding of an obscure disease. The search for a single unifying hypothesis on the etiology of Alzheimer's disease has been elusive. Many hypotheses associated to Alzheimer's disease have not survived their testing to become theory. Suggested here is that the elusive nature of etiology of dementia is not from one cause, but rather the causes are numerous. Medical terminology used freely for decades is rarely evaluated in the light of a new hypothesis. At the foundation of this work is the suggestion of a new medical term: Micron Strokes. The Micron Stroke Hypothesis of Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia include primary and secondary factors. The primary factors can be briefly described as baseline brain tissue, atrial fibrillation, hypercoaguable state, LDL, carotid artery stenosis, tobacco exposure, hypertension diabetes mellitus, and the presence of systemic inflammation. Dozens of secondary factors contribute to the development of dementia. Most dementia is caused by nine primary categories of factors as they interact to cause micron strokes to the brain.