Lower Levels Of Two Amyloid Peptides May Be Predictive Of Dementia

MedPage Today (3/27, Walsh) reports, "The ratio of two amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides in plasma may prove to be a useful biomarker for the preclinical diagnosis of dementia and Alzheimer's disease," according to a meta-analysis published online March 26 in the Archives of Neurology. The "pooled analysis of six studies found increased risk for dementia in general among individuals with the lowest Aβ42 to Aβ40 ratio (RR 1.67, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.75, P=0.04)," and "an elevated risk specifically for Alzheimer's disease also was seen for those with the lowest Aβ42 to Aβ40 ratio (RR 1.60, 95% CI 1.04 to 2.46, P=0.03)." From this, the authors conclude, "The existing research offers cautious support of the hypothesis that lower levels of the plasma Aβ42 to Aβ40" are "predictive of dementia development."

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