Beijing - Saba:
In 2023, a 19-year-old Chinese man was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, becoming the youngest person in the world to be diagnosed with the disease.
The young man began to suffer from memory deterioration since the age of 17, and his condition worsened over time.
Brain scans showed shrinkage in the hippocampus, the part responsible for memory, in addition to common signs of this type of dementia.
Although Alzheimer's disease is usually considered a disease of the elderly, early cases involving patients under the age of 65 account for 10% of all cases.
In the case of this young man, researchers did not find any known genetic mutations or suspected genes despite conducting a comprehensive genome-wide search.
Before this diagnosis, the youngest patient with Alzheimer's was 21 years old, and he carried a genetic mutation that causes abnormal proteins to accumulate in the brain. But in this young man’s case, there was no family history of the disease, making his case unusual.
The patient began experiencing difficulty concentrating and memory deterioration at an early age, to the point that he was unable to complete high school. A year after he was referred to the memory clinic, tests showed a severe deterioration in his memory.
The treating physician noted that this case could change our understanding of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, and stressed that future studies should focus on early cases to better understand this mysterious disease.
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