Risk factors associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease: A literature review
Keywords:
Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, risk factors, modifiable, cognitive decline, preventionAbstract
Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects memory, thinking, and behavior, and is the most common form of dementia. The majority of cases occur sporadically (95–99%), while only 1–5% are hereditary. The main pathological processes begin decades before they can be clinically detected. Therefore, interventions targeting risk factors could help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
Objective: To identify risk factors associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
Methods: A literature search was conducted using scientific databases including PubMed, WHOSIS, Medline, Scielo, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. Risk factors were selected based on evidence of their association with increased cognitive decline and dementia risk, or with a reduction in contributing factors for the disease, emphasizing a clinical-preventive approach.
Results: A total of six randomized clinical trials were included in the review. These were selected from an initial pool of 712 articles, prioritizing those most relevant to the study’s objective.
Conclusion: Alzheimer’s disease is not solely a neurological phenomenon isolated from other systemic alterations. This broader perspective allows for a more comprehensive roadmap to prevention, suggesting that timely and sustained interventions may delay, or even reduce, the incidence of AD in the general population.
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Accepted 2026-09-21
Published 2026-10-15
