Genetic testing in 2017 confirmed what Mejia, 44, had suspected: she had indeed inherited the mutation for Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Disease, which causes early onset Alzheimer's, typically between ages 30 and 60, according to the Advocate Aurora Health Research Center. After receiving the news, Mejia chose to participate in a leading-edge clinical trial held at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
The disease affects fewer than 1% of people with Alzheimer's, and those with a family history, including Mejia and her three sons, ages 3, 7 and 11, have a 50% chance of inheriting the mutation. "For me, it's really about making a broader difference," said Mejia, who lives on the Northwest side of Chicago with her husband and children, of her decision to join the clinical trial.
Advocate Lutheran General is the first Illinois site of the trial, which is sponsored by the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Trials Unit at Washington University in St. Louis.
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