Early cases of Alzheimer’s are more frequent among Israelis of eastern descent, the United States has launched a study

Studies on possible genetic factors favoring the onset of Alzheimer’s disease are increasing throughout the world, and this is one of the most promising avenues discovered to date to find a cure for this incurable pathology that affects approximately 30% over 85.

In this regard, the ethnic diversity of the Israeli population may offer interesting avenues. It turns out that according to a statistical study conducted by Petah Tikva’s Bellinson Hospital on hundreds of patients treated in its cognitive diseases department, early cases of Alzheimer’s disease – detected before the age of 65 – mostly affect people of Oriental origin. . Israelis of Ashkenazi origin are much less affected. Of the hundreds of related patients, 64% are of Eastern origin, compared with 36% of Ashkenazi origin.

All the data considered particularly interesting by the United States National Institute of Health (NIH), which decided to give a special grant of about $15 million (53 million shekels) to the Belinson Hospital to develop research on this topic. The follow-up study will be conducted in collaboration with Boston University in the United States and three other Israeli hospitals: Rambam in Haifa, Barzilai in Ashkelon and Laniado in Netanya.

It will focus on a group of approximately 4,000 Alzheimer’s patients aged 65 and older, who represent less than 2.6% of the 150,000 Israeli patients currently suffering from the condition. Despite the limited number of patients involved in the study, its investigators hope to obtain enough significant data to advance the search for appropriate treatments for people of all ages.

Although there is still no cure for this disease, risk factors contributing to its appearance can be identified from a very young age. Among the catalysts: diabetes, hypertension, obesity, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, loneliness, lack of cognitive stimulation and lack of sleep.