General Causes

Doctors believe that a number of causes contribute to the onset of Alzheimer's disease, including genetics, lifestyle choices and the effects of outside influences or the environment, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Features

In some cases, the build-up of proteins called beta-amyloids causes poor communication between regions of the brain, contributing to Alzheimer's disease. When certain protein structures called tau become tangled inside of them, some brain cells die, also causing Alzheimer's disease.

Risks

There are a number of risk factors that increase your likelihood of developing Alzheimer's, such as being older than 65 years, a family history of the disease, mild cognitive defects, high blood pressure or cholesterol and poorly controlled diabetes. Women are more likely to develop Alzheimer's than men, as are people with less education, such as high school drop outs, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Cognitive Symptoms

Cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease include repeating things; forgetting conversations, appointments and people's names; frequently misplacing things; difficulty with mathematics; trouble recalling the correct word for things; disorientation; decline in judgment or problem-solving skills and difficulty following instructions or steps.

Emotional Symptoms

Alzheimer's disease also causes some emotional symptoms, such as mood swings, difficulty trusting others, stubbornness, withdrawing from others, depression, anxiety and aggression.

Source

Mayo Clinic: Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Association: Statistics