| 1. |
- Nilsson, Karin, et al.
(författare)
-
Relation between plasma homocysteine and Alzheimer's disease.
- 2002
-
Ingår i: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. - : S. Karger AG. - 1420-8008 .- 1421-9824. ; 14:1, s. 41467-41467
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Several studies have shown that plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentration is elevated in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it is not clear whether elevated plasma tHcy is a primary cause or a consequence of AD. METHOD: To elucidate this question, we have analysed plasma homocysteine and its determinants in patients with early (EOAD)- and late-onset AD (LOAD) and compared the findings with those in vascular dementia (VaD) and age- and sex-matched control subjects. RESULTS: One of the main findings in the present study is that in EOAD there is no change in the levels of either plasma tHcy or its determinants compared with an age- and sex-matched control group. The fact that plasma tHcy concentration is normal in EOAD thus indicates that elevated plasma tHcy is not the primary cause of the disease. Another main finding is that patients with mixed dementia (AD and VaD) and patients with VaD showed significantly increased plasma tHcy concentration compared with controls and that plasma tHCy concentration in patients with LOAD and a history of additional cardiovascular disease was elevated compared both with AD patients without such a history and with the controls. Thus, there is an association between elevated plasma tHcy and vascular disease. A third main finding is that patients with AD who were followed up for several years showed a clinical deterioration of dementia and an elevation of plasma tHcy concentration. This finding likewise supports the notion that elevated plasma tHcy is not the primary cause of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that elevated plasma tHcy is not the primary cause of the disease. Furthermore, the findings indicate that elevated plasma tHcy might be a reflection of concomitant vascular disease in AD patients.
|
|
| 2. |
- Fäldt, Roger, et al.
(författare)
-
Prevalence of thyroid hormone abnormalities in elderly patients with symptoms of organic brain disease.
- 1996
-
Ingår i: Aging (Milan, Italy). - 0394-9532. ; 8:5, s. 347-357
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Analysis of the serum concentrations of free thyroid hormones (fT3, fT4) and thyrotropin (TSH) in 173 psychogeriatric patients (94 females and 79 males, mean age 79 +/- 8 years) disclosed that the hormone levels were related to sex, psychiatric diagnosis, medication and the presence of nonthyroid illness (NTI). Subnormal concentrations of thyroid hormones and/or TSH were found in 25% of the patients. In addition, fT3 and fT4 concentrations were significantly lower (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively) in demented males compared with demented females although the levels were within the reference limits. Strongly negative correlations between fT3 and age (p < 0.001), and between fT3 and the sedimentation rate (SR) (p < 0.01) were found in demented but not in non-demented patients. These correlations were most pronounced in (age) or restricted to (SR) demented males. In addition, the correlation between fT3 and Hb was strongly positive (p < 0.001) in demented as well as in nondemented patients, particularly in males. The concentration of fT4 was positively correlated to Hb in demented males (p < 0.001), whereas TSH concentration was positively correlated to Hb in demented females (p < 0.05). The results show that TSH is not sufficient as the sole screening assay for evaluation of possible thyroid dysfunction in psychogeriatric patients. In addition, central (hypothalamic?) hypothyroidism may be present in a substantial amount of psychogeriatric patients, as we found an adequate TSH response to exogenous thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) also in patients with decreased fT3/fT4 and no signs of non thyroid diseases. Furthermore, there was an apparent lack of correlation between thyroid hormone levels and dementia (or subgroups of dementia), even though thyroid hormone abnormalities seemed to be rather common in frontotemporal dementia (38%) and non specified dementia (36%).
|
|
| 3. |
- Gustafson, Lars, et al.
(författare)
-
Apolipoprotein E genotyping in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia
- 1997
-
Ingår i: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. - : S. Karger AG. - 1420-8008 .- 1421-9824. ; 8:4, s. 240-243
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are characterized by progressive neuronal loss and microvacuolization, although with different distributions of cortical involvement. In contrast to AD there is no amyloid, senile plaques or tangles in FTD. The involvement of chromosome 19 in AD has been associated with apoliprotein E (ApoE) and the epsi4 gene frequency has been related to increased risk and early onset of AD. Our analysis of frequency of the ApoE alleles in 38 patients with AD, 21 patients with FTD and 29 normal controls indicates an association of both AD and FTD with an increased frequency of the epsi4 allele and in AD also with homozygosity for epsi4. Our results might indicate that ApoE epsi4 is an important aggravating and pathoplastic factor in the presence of genetic and other determinants for the development of AD or FTD. A significantly higher epsi2 frequency in our FTD material compared to AD and normals might also indicate a connection with the distribution of cortical degeneration.
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Nilsson, Anna-Karin, et al.
(författare)
-
C-reactive protein: vascular risk marker in elderly patients with mental illness.
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. - : S. Karger AG. - 1420-8008 .- 1421-9824. ; 26:3, s. 251-256
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that vascular disease contributes to cognitive impairment and dementia. Clarification of the role of vascular risk factors in dementia is important because most are modifiable, in contrast to other risk factors such as age and genetics. METHODS: In 428 patients with mental illness we have investigated the relation of vascular disease to diagnoses, and a biochemical parameter, C-reactive protein (CRP), which is associated with inflammation and vascular disease. RESULTS: Patients with vascular disease showed higher CRP levels than patients without vascular disease. Furthermore, patients with Alzheimer's disease showed lower CRP levels than patients with vascular dementia, mild cognitive impairment or depression. There is no obvious reason for this finding, since it could not be attributed to drug treatment. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that the control of conventional vascular risk factors and therapy could be guided by the level of CRP.
|
|
| 6. |
- Nilsson, Karin, et al.
(författare)
-
Association between plasma homocysteine levels and mortality in elderly patients with mental illness.
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. - : S. Karger AG. - 1420-8008 .- 1421-9824. ; 27:6, s. 579-583
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND/METHOD: Total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) concentration is elevated in elderly patients with mental illness. Plasma tHcy is known to be associated with cardiovascular disease, renal impairment and negative lifestyle factors, and has been shown to predict mortality in human subjects. Epidemiological data on this topic in elderly patients with mental illness are missing. We therefore investigated the association between plasma tHcy levels and mortality in these patients. RESULTS: The group of deceased patients showed higher age, higher plasma tHcy, lower renal function and lower serum folate than patients who were still alive. Only age, plasma tHcy and the presence of vascular disease significantly influenced mortality. CONCLUSION: The association between plasma tHcy level and mortality risk was probably explained in part by the two plasma tHcy determinants age and presence of vascular disease. The determination of plasma tHcy in elderly patients with mental illness may help to identify patients in need of more intensive treatment.
|
|
| 7. |
- Nilsson, Karin, et al.
(författare)
-
Elevated plasma homocysteine concentration in elderly patients with mental illness is mainly related to the presence of vascular disease and not the diagnosis
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. - : S. Karger AG. - 1420-8008 .- 1421-9824. ; 24:3, s. 162-168
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) is often elevated in patients with mental illness. Since patients with mental illness and vascular disease exhibit a higher plasma tHcy concentration than patients without vascular disease, it is possible that elevated plasma tHcy in mental illness is mainly due to concomitant vascular disease. Methods: We have investigated plasma tHcy, cobalamin/folate status, renal function and the presence of vascular disease in patients with vascular dementia (VaD, n = 501), Alzheimer's disease ( AD, n = 300), depression ( n = 259) and in healthy subjects ( n = 144) stratified according to age ( below and above 75 years). Results: Plasma tHcy concentration showed the highest increase in patients with VaD compared to patients with AD or depression. After the exclusion of patients with cobalamin/ folate deficiencies and increased serum creatinine, patients with AD or depression above 75 years with vascular disease showed a similar elevation of plasma tHcy concentration as patients with VaD. Furthermore, patients with AD and depression without vascular disease showed a similar plasma tHcy concentration to healthy subjects. Conclusion: The findings imply that elevated plasma tHcy concentration in elderly patients with mental illness is mainly associated with the presence of vascular disease and is not related to the specific psychogeriatric diagnosis.
|
|
| 8. |
- Nilsson, Karin, et al.
(författare)
-
Homocysteine, cystatin C and N-terminal-pro brain natriuretic Peptide. Vascular risk markers in elderly patients with mental illness.
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. - : S. Karger AG. - 1420-8008 .- 1421-9824. ; 25:1, s. 88-96
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that vascular disease contributes to cognitive impairment and dementia. Clarification of the role of vascular risk factors in dementia is important because most are modifiable, in contrast to other risk factors such as age and genetics. METHODS: In 451 patients with mental illness we have investigated three biochemical markers related to vascular disease, total plasma homocysteine (tHcy), cystatin C, and N-terminal-pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and their association with vascular disease, diagnoses, and brain imaging findings (CT). RESULTS: Plasma tHcy, serum cystatin C, and serum NT-proBNP showed significantly increased frequencies of elevated levels in patients with vascular disease, in patients with a pathological CT finding indicating cerebrovascular disease, and in patients above 75 years of age. CONCLUSION: It is possible that the control of conventional vascular risk factors and therapy could be guided by the level of plasma tHcy, serum cystatin C, and serum NT-proBNP. Patients with an elevation of any of these three parameters could be selected for a lower target level of risk factors such as blood pressure, hyperlipidemia etc. than conventional target levels.
|
|
| 9. |
- Nilsson, Karin, et al.
(författare)
-
Plasma Homocysteine and Cognition in Elderly Patients with Dementia or Other Psychogeriatric Diseases.
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. - : S. Karger AG. - 1420-8008 .- 1421-9824. ; 30:3, s. 198-204
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) concentration is elevated in elderly patients with mental illness, and patients with vascular disease have higher plasma tHcy concentrations than patients without vascular disease. Increasing evidence indicates that vascular risk factors play a role in the development of cognitive impairment. Method: We have investigated the relation between plasma tHcy, its determinants and cognition, measured as MMSE, in 448 consecutively enrolled patients with dementia or other psychogeriatric diseases. Results: Multiple regression analyses showed that plasma tHcy was related to cognitive function in all patients as well as in demented and non-demented patients. The apparent close relationship between plasma tHcy and cognition was mainly dependent on its determinant age, whereas the other determinants of plasma tHcy exhibited a limited influence on the relation between plasma tHcy and cognition. Plasma tHcy has its own, albeit modest, relationship to cognitive function (predictive value about 5%). Conclusion: Plasma tHcy itself seems to play a minor role in cognitive impairment in patients with dementia or other psychogeriatric diseases. When investigating the relation between plasma tHcy and cognition, it is important to consider the distribution of the main determinants of plasma tHcy and to correct plasma tHcy for these variables.
|
|
| 10. |
- Nilsson, Karin, et al.
(författare)
-
Plasma Homocysteine and Vascular Disease in Psychogeriatric Patients.
- 2006
-
Ingår i: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. - : S. Karger AG. - 1420-8008 .- 1421-9824. ; 21:3, s. 148-154
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- <i>Background:</i> There is a high frequency (40–50%) of elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations in elderly patients with mental disorders, and patients with a history of vascular disease exhibit significantly higher plasma tHcy concentration than patients without vascular disease. <i>Method:</i> The main objective of the present study was to further investigate the association between plasma tHcy concentration and vascular disease in psychogeriatric patients. We have therefore investigated 304 psychogeriatric patients and determined plasma tHcy and its most important determinants (folate and cobalamin status and renal function), and the natriuretic peptide N-terminal-pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). The patients were classified into several groups of vascular disease according to the findings of brain imaging and presence of a history/symptoms indicating manifest occlusive arteriosclerotic vascular disease. <i>Results:</i> Plasma tHcy concentration is associated with the presence of vascular disease in psychogeriatric patients. The presence of vascular disease is also associated with higher age, higher serum NT-proBNP, renal impairment and lower serum folate concentration than in patients without vascular disease. The significant association between plasma tHcy concentration and vascular disease remained after correction for age and for cystatin C differences between the groups of patients without and with vascular disease. In the present population with only 16% of the patients showing elevated plasma tHcy, renal function was a more important determinant for plasma tHcy concentration than folate status. <i>Conclusion:</i> Plasma tHcy concentration is associated with vascular disease. In the present population of psychogeriatric patients renal function is associated with vascular disease and elevated plasma tHcy concentration. Thus, the association between plasma tHcy concentration and vascular disease might partially be explained by impairment of renal function.
|
|
