Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2012 Aug 1;2(8):a006239. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a006239.
The global prevalence of dementia has been estimated to be as high as 24 million, and is predicted to double every 20 years until at least 2040. As the population worldwide continues to age, the number of individuals at risk will also increase, particularly among the very old. Alzheimer disease is the leading cause of dementia beginning with impaired memory. The neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer disease include diffuse and neuritic extracellular amyloid plaques in brain that are frequently surrounded by dystrophic neurites and intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles. The etiology of Alzheimer disease remains unclear, but it is likely to be the result of both genetic and environmental factors. In this review we discuss the prevalence and incidence rates, the established environmental risk factors, and the protective factors, and briefly review genetic variants predisposing to disease.
全球痴呆症的患病率估计高达 2400 万，预计至少到 2040 年每 20 年翻一番。随着全球人口老龄化，患病风险人群也会增加，尤其是非常高龄人群。阿尔茨海默病是痴呆症的主要病因，从记忆障碍开始。阿尔茨海默病的神经病理学特征包括大脑中弥漫性和神经突状细胞外淀粉样斑块，这些斑块通常被萎缩的神经突和细胞内神经原纤维缠结所包围。阿尔茨海默病的病因尚不清楚，但可能是遗传和环境因素共同作用的结果。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了患病率和发病率、已确定的环境风险因素和保护因素，并简要回顾了导致疾病的遗传变异。
