The case of the youngest person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and what were the first symptoms

China neurologists diagnosed in 2023 a young man of only 19 years with Alzheimer’s, becoming the youngest person in the world to present this disease, according to Science Alert. Although these types of conditions are more linked to stages of old age, 10% of cases of all diagnoses include people below 65 years.

A brain radiography showed a Hippocampus contraction and cerebrospinal fluid indicated common markers of this type of dementia. However, the young man has already begun to experience symptoms until two years before, which worsened over time, having to abandon his studies.

The symptoms

The first indications were Difficulties to concentrate on class, problems when reading and a very deteriorated short -term memory, because he forgot things like what he had done the day before or lost his belongings constantly.

People under 30 who present this disease are mainly due to pathological genetic mutations, that is, by the inheritance of a “defective” gene. However, in the case of this young man no suspicious gene could be that gave rise to the development of this disease, so it is raised as a great mystery for researchers.

Besides, No member of his family had a history of Alzheimer’s or dementia, But the young man also did not present other diseases, infections or cranial trauma that could explain this cognitive decline.

Another case

In fact, before this diagnosisthe youngest person Alzheimer’s was a 21 -year -old, But the main cause was a genetic mutation of the PSEN1 gene, which is associated with an early detection of the disease. This mutation causes an accumulation of abnormal proteins in the brain, forming clusters of toxic plates.

This finding, according to researchers, shows that Alzheimer’s is a much more complex disease than was thought and the causes of its appearance can be very diverse. “Explore the mysteries of young people with Alzheimer’s disease can become one of the most challenging scientific questions in the future,” said neurologist Jianping Jia.