Dementia & Alzheimer's

Carrying Two APOE4 Genes Signals ‘Virtually’ Inevitable Alzheimer’s Pathology

Carrying Two APOE4 Genes Signals ‘Virtually’ Inevitable Alzheimer’s Pathology
Although only about 20 percent of the human population carries ApoE4, it accounts for an estimated 40 to 65 percent of Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases. Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock
A.C. Dahnke
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A new study suggests that having two copies of the APOE4 gene variant, known to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, is more than a risk factor—it is strongly linked to developing the mind-robbing condition.

“Now we know that virtually all individuals with this duplicated gene develop Alzheimer’s biology,” Dr. Juan Fortea, director of the Memory Unit of the Neurology Service at the Santa Pau Hospital in Barcelona and a lead author of the study, said in a press release.
A.C. Dahnke
A.C. Dahnke
Author
A.C. Dahnke is a freelance writer and editor residing in California. She has covered community journalism and health care news for nearly a decade, winning a California Newspaper Publishers Award for her work.