Familial Alzheimer's disease

Early-onset Alzheimer's disease, also called early-onset Alzheimer's, or early-onset AD, is Alzheimer's disease diagnosed before the age of 65. It is an uncommon form of Alzheimer's, accounting for only 5-10% of all Alzheimer's cases. About 13% of the cases of early-onset Alzheimer's are familial, where a genetic predisposition leads to the disease. The other incidences of early-onset Alzheimer's, however, share the same traits as the 'late-onset' form of Alzheimer's disease, and little is understood about how it starts.The symptoms of the disease as a distinct nosologic entity were first identified by Emil Kraepelin, and the characteristic neuropathology was first observed by Alois Alzheimer in 1906. In this sense, the disease was co-discovered by Kraepelin and Alzheimer, who worked in Kraepelin's laboratory. Because of the overwhelming importance Kraepelin attached to finding the neuropathological basis of psychiatric disorders, Kraepelin made the decision that the disease would bear Alzheimer's name.Familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) or early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease (EOFAD) is an uncommon form of Alzheimer's disease that usually strikes earlier in life, defined as before the age of 65 (usually between 50 and 65 years of age) and is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion, identified by genetics and other characteristics such as the age of onset. Familial AD requires the patient to have at least one first-degree relative with a history of AD. Nonfamilial cases of AD are referred to as 'sporadic' AD, where genetic risk factors are minor or unclear.The atypical lifecourse timing of early-onset Alzheimer's means that it presents distinctive impacts upon experience. For example, the disease can have devastating effects on the careers, caretakers and family members of patients.