New to group....E4/E4

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
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djdenham
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Joined: Wed May 22, 2019 7:16 pm

New to group....E4/E4

Post by djdenham »

Good afternoon all! My name is Dona and I am new to the group. I received my testing results about mid-May. I tested through the Alzheimer's Organization. Both of my parents have/had Alzheimer's. My Dad passed away 2 years ago and my Mom was diagnosed early this year. Since getting my results my husband and I have started a vegetarian/vegan diet. I live in Alabama and am wondering if any of you have been to a neurologist in the SE for a baseline MRI and/or someone who understands the potential impact of E4/E4. I am interested in being as proactive with this as possible.


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Lucy5
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Re: New to group....E4/E4

Post by Lucy5 »

Welcome Dona from another 4/4 member!

First, let me say that I'm so sorry to hear about both your Dad and Mom's struggle with Alzheimer's. Many here share that experience and understand how very difficult it is. Please know that this is a supportive community and we're here for you whenever you have questions or are looking for advice. With regard to finding a recommendation for a neurologist in your area, you may want to start a new topic with that as the subject to get more attention from our members.

I'd also like to mention that if you've already searched the internet for cognitive impairment/alzheimer's risks for those among us with Apoe 4/4, please know that many of those estimates are significantly overstated. They were typically based on small, self-selecting populations and have (thankfully) turned out to be inaccurate. You may find this quote from a 2017 meta-analysis of 4 large population-based groups on the statistical risk of someone between 60-75 being diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairement or Alzhimer's by 85 years helpful:
The Generation Study elected to disclose the following “lifetime” risks of MCI or dementia to its potential participants: 30%–55% for individuals with APOE-e4/e4; 20%–25% for individuals with APOE-e3/e4 and -e2/e4 (with a note that risk might be lower for those with APOE-e2/e4); and 10%–15% for individuals with APOE-e3/e3, -e3/e2, and -e2/e2 (with a note that risk might be lower for those with APOE-e2/e3 and -e2/e2). These values are consistent with our findings, but use round numbers for intelligibility, and broader ranges to reflect statistical and other sources of uncertainty.
I think you'll find our site Primer written by a member practicing physician (and also a 4/4) a wonderful source of information about this gene of ours. It provides a great deal of information regarding lifestyle strategies we can all practice to reduce it's overall impact on our health while focusing on delaying and hopefully preventing this disease. Our Wiki has additional in-depth discussions on topics of particular interest to our members. And please be sure and check out our How-To-Guide for some great tips on navigating our site more easily and effectively, One more note, our Search function (found by clicking on the magnifying glass along the upper right of this page) is a nice tool to find forum topics of interest to you (such as finding any prior discussions of neurologists in the SE).

Again, welcome Dona!
warmly, Lucy
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