[Explanation] Recently, Jia Jianping's team from Beijing Xuanwu Hospital reported a 19-year-old case who was clinically diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in the "Journal of Alzheimer's Disease".

According to the article, the patient is the youngest known Alzheimer's patient.

On February 4, the reporter contacted Jia Longfei, a member of the team, to explain the case.

　　[Explanation] Alzheimer's disease is often called "senile dementia" by the folks, and it mostly occurs in the elderly.

Jia Longfei told reporters that when he first learned of this case, as an expert in related fields, he was also very surprised.

　　[Concurrent] Jia Longfei, Chief Physician and Doctoral Supervisor of Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University

　　This patient happened not to be in my group, but this patient, we have all participated in the discussion of this case, because this disease is indeed, and the onset is indeed very rare at this age. I have seen this patient before. up.

　　To be honest, I didn't quite believe it at first.

Because we have seen some 21-year-olds and 20-year-olds with Alzheimer's disease (AD), but he has a family history and a gene mutation.

So for us, this patient has no family history, and secondly, no gene mutation has been detected by existing means, which is very rare.

　　[Explanation] It is mentioned in the article that the hospital has done a variety of examinations for the patients, including cerebrospinal fluid index detection and PET scan, which are currently the best means for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease, based on which the clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is made .

　　[Explanation] Jia Longfei believes that the cause of Alzheimer's disease is very complicated, and there is no definite statement at present.

As for whether there is a younger trend in Alzheimer's disease, he believes that it is related to the advancement of technology.

　　[Concurrent] Jia Longfei, Chief Physician and Doctoral Supervisor of Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University

　　It is possible that lifestyle has some influence on the occurrence of this disease, but if we want to say that this disease was originally diagnosed after the age of 65, it can be seen that a large number of people in their 40s have developed the disease over the years, because of the pressure of our life rhythm , a change in diet, I think this is unlikely.

　　The reason why we gradually hear about some young cases is that our inspection methods have improved compared to before.

The cases of Alzheimer's disease are getting younger, in fact, I think it has happened before, but we haven't diagnosed it.

　　[Explanation] According to the article, two years ago, the patient found it difficult to concentrate on his studies, and later developed obvious short-term memory loss, such as being unable to remember what happened in the day, or forgetting where his belongings were placed , he also had difficulty reading and responding. Gradually, his memory got worse and worse, he would lose things from time to time, and he couldn't even remember whether he had eaten or not.

Although his academic performance was above average prior to his onset, he was ultimately unable to continue his studies and had to drop out.

The patient is still able to live independently.

　　[Explanation] However, Jia Longfei said that not all similar memory declines are Alzheimer's disease. It is still very rare for young people to suffer from Alzheimer's disease, and most of them have gene mutations.

　　[Concurrent] Jia Longfei, Chief Physician and Doctoral Supervisor of Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University

　　If it is a (patient) in their 20s, it should be said (estimated) that more than 90% of them are related to genes.

　　Some patients, such as recent fatigue, irregular life, may not keep up with diet, nutrition, and rest, his cognition will definitely decline. If he stays up late for a week or even longer, this The patient is sure that there is a problem with his short-term memory, but he can recover after a period of rest.

I think this case is a rare case.

　　[Explanation] Jia Longfei suggested that young people can pay attention to regular life, healthy diet and physical exercise to prevent memory loss, but don't worry too much about suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

　　Reporter Wen Mengxin reports from Beijing

Responsible editor: [Lu Yan]