Alzheimer’s Genes Dont Predict Risk
Reported May 13, 2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Although researchers have identified genetic variations associated with Alzheimer’s disease, a new study shows those variations do not help determine patients who are at risk for the disease.
One out of every five people who are 65 years of age is predicted to develop Alzheimer’s in his or her lifetime. Researchers from the Netherlands conducted a study to examine if certain genes associated with Alzheimer’s can predict who will get the disease.
Investigators identified two genetic variations that were associated with Alzheimer’s. However, they write: “These loci did not improve AD risk prediction. The value of these associations may lie in the insights they could provide for research into the pathophysiological mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease.”
In an accompanying editorial, Nancy L. Pederson, Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, said these findings are a reminder that family history is very important in determining Alzheimer’s risk. She also writes, “Findings such as those reported [in this study] reinforce the futility of using individual genetic risk profiling for Alzheimer’s disease beyond collecting information on age, sex, family history and APOE status.”
SOURCE: JAMA, 2010; 303[18]: 1832-1840