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Doctors say it is possible that an Alzheimer's patient could progress to the point that damage from the disease to the centers of the brain that control breathing could cause death, but patients rarely get that far without an infection setting in.
The Search for Alzheimerâs Causes and Risk Factors. 1  While scientists know Alzheimer's disease involves progressive brain cell failure, the reason cells fail isn't clear. Like other chronic conditions, experts believe that Alzheimer's develops as a complex result of multiple factors rather than any one overriding cause. The greatest risk factors for Alzheimerâs are older age, having a family history of Alzheimerâs and carrying the APOE-e4 gene.