A team of doctors in Beijing reported the world’s first case of a 19-year-old teenager with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a condition that usually occurs in older people.
As reported by the Chinese media Global Timesthe group of scientists led by Jia Jianping from the Innovation Center for Neurological Disorders works at Xuanwu Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University.
The study found that Alzheimer’s is no longer a disease exclusive to the elderly. Jia called for more resources to be devoted to studying the disease early in life because if more cases occur, it will be one of the most challenging global health problems.
The specialists published their results in the medical journal Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
A 19-year-old boy with Alzheimer’s
Jia’s team’s case study is about a young man who began to present memory disorders at the age of 17. He was later diagnosed with full-blown Alzheimer’s at age 19 when he began having short-term memory problems, difficulty reading, and difficulty concentrating on learning.
The patient continued to experience gradual cognitive decline to the point of forgetting what he had just eaten. Finally, the young man left school.
Jia’s team did not reveal the patient’s gender, but confirmed that he had no family history of Alzheimer’s or other memory disorders.
Alzheimer’s became known in 1906 and has been believed to be a neurodegenerative disorder that mainly affects people over the age of 50.
Editorial Team The editorial team of EMPRENDEDOR.com, which for more than 27 years has worked to promote entrepreneurship.