Texas ranks fourth in the nation for Alzheimer’s cases—
Following the release of Texas’ four-year State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease, health officials are sharing advice for those at risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
The overviewTexas ranks fourth in the nation for Alzheimer’s cases and second for Alzheimer’s deaths, according to the state plan, released by the Texas Department of State Health Services.
The disease causes memory loss, disorientation, and a decline in cognitive and functional ability.
The breakdown
Dr.EddieLeePattonJr.,vice-chairoftheTexasCouncilonAlzheimer’sDiseaseandRelatedDisorders,saidthattherankingislikelyduetoTexas’largepopulationsizeandemphasizedthattherearestepsthatcanbetakentoreduceanindividual’soddsofgettingthedisease.
“Alzheimer’sisaneurodegenerativedisease,meaningthataswegetolder,there’sdysfunctionwithinthebrainandyougetabuildupofwhat’scalledbeta-amyloidandabuildupoftau,whicharetheseproteinsthatarenormallyclearedfromthebrain,”Pattonsaid.
ForpatientswithAlzheimer’s,theseproteinsaren
