MEDIA CONTACT
Available for logged-in reporters only
Newswise — Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common type of dementia. It slowly kills brain cells and is the fifth-leading cause of death for Americans age 65 and over.
But contrary to popular belief, steps can be taken to slow it down.
“People think Alzheimer’s is an entirely genetic disorder, but most often, it’s not,” said Dr. Charles Duffy, a neurologist at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
The disease
Nearly all cases are late-onset. That means people don’t develop symptoms until age 65 or later. By contrast, people with the rarer type of Alzheimer’s — early-onset — may see symptoms as early as age 40.
“The two biggest risk factors for developing Alzheimer’s are a person’s age and prior head…
