Chris Hemsworth, the predisposition to Alzheimer's and the newspapers that made him angry, giving him for “a goner”

Having a genetic predisposition to a disease does not mean being ill, nor that the pathology will manifest itself one hundred percent. It is a well-known scientific concept, it is written and discussed not only in specialized fields, but in the case of Chris Hemsworththe superficiality with which this topic was treated by a certain type of press – had its weight.

In a new interview given to Vanity Fair, Hemsworth wanted to clarify, once and for all, that he does not have Alzheimer's. Two years ago, as an interpreter of the National Geographic docuseries Limitless, the actor underwent some tests which revealed a greater risk of falling ill with this neurodegenerative disease due to the presence of two copies of the Apoe4 gene.

Some newspapers decided to speculate on the news: «This really pissed me off because, Even though I made it clear that it wasn't a death sentence, the news spread that I had dementia and I was reconsidering my life, thinking about retirement and so on,” said Hemsworth, who will turn 41 in the summer.

What does having a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's mean?

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. Noand six out of 10 patients suffer, approximately 60 percent of the 55 million cases currently registered in the world.
Two-thirds become ill due to a mutation in the Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene. “This type of Alzheimer's occurs at an advanced age, between 65 and 75 years of age, and affects the regions of the brain that regulate learning, with very strong memory disorders,” he explained. Giovanni Frisonifull professor of Clinical Neurosciences and director of Memory clinic of the University Hospitals of Geneva, in an interview given to Vanity Fair.
“The presence of the gene does not mathematically determine the development of the disease, but indicates a risk factor.” For the disease to appear, the co-presence of specific environmental factors is also necessary.

The 12 risk factors that can contribute to the development of the disease

In a previous interview given to Vanity Fairthe star of Thor he said that the risk of getting sick pushed him to change his life and focus on physical and mental health.

One 2020 study released by Lancet Commission has increased the risk factors that can contribute to the development of Alzheimer's from nine to 12. It's about hypertension, obesity, hearing problems, smokedepression, poor physical activity, diabetes, lack of social contacts, low level of education, excessive alcohol consumption, brain trauma And air pollution. «There are probably others that we know less about, but we have understood that prevention has a fundamental role: it is the most important frontier in the treatment of the disease», underlined Frisoni.