Plasma clusterin level and Alzheimer disease

January 01, 0001

Plasma clusterin level and Alzheimer disease

The clusterin gene has been associated with risk of Alzheimer diseasev(AD). These Dutch researchers looked at palsma clusterin level as a potential biomarker for AD via a nested case-cohort study nested within the Rotterdam Study, a prospective population-based cohort study conducted in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The researchers found: "The likelihood of prevalent AD increased with increasing plasma levels of clusterin (odds ratio {OR} per SD increase of plasma clusterin level, 1.63, adjusted for age, sex, education level, apolipoprotein E status, diabetes, smoking, coronary heart disease, and hypertension). Among patients with AD, higher clusterin levels were associated with more severe disease (adjusted difference in MMSE score per SD increase in clusterin levels, -1.36). Plasma clusterin levels were not related to the risk of incident AD during total follow-up (adjusted HR, 1.00) or within 3 years of baseline (adjusted HR, 1.09)."

The researchers concluded: "Plasma clusterin levels were significantly associated with baseline prevalence and severity of AD, but not with incidence of AD."

Plasma levels of clusterin are linked with Alzheimer’s disease, but their clinical use remains to be seen.

For the full abstract, click here.

JAMA 305(13):1322-1326, 6 April 2011 © 2011 American Medical Association
Plasma Clusterin and the Risk of Alzheimer Disease. Elisabeth M. C. Schrijvers, Peter J. Koudstaal, Albert Hofman, Monique M. B. Breteler.

Category: N. Neurological. Keywords: clusterin, plasma, Alzheimer disease, incidence, prevalence, nested case-control study, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Paul Schaefer, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 22 April 2010

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.

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