Plasma Apolipoprotein E Linked to Dementia Risk

DALLAS, Texas — Plasma levels of apolipoprotein E (APOE) are associated with the risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia, independent of APOE genotype, a new study shows.
Using 2 large general population cohorts, Danish researchers found that low plasma levels of APOE were associated with significantly higher risks of AD and of all dementia, but not with cerebrovascular disease, regardless of the presence or absence of the APOE ε4 genotype that is already associated with increased AD risk.

"These things suggest that plasma levels of APOE may be a new preclinical plasma biomarker for dementia, and again, this is the first plasma biomarker for predicting future dementia," said Ruth Frikke-Schmidt, from Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark.
She speculated that low levels of plasma APOE reflect APOE activity in the brain. "So, low APOE in plasma mirrors low APOE production in the brain, which probably is not good, because less β-amyloid is cleared," she concluded. READ MORE

 

Mental Illness in Seniors Hits Healthcare System Hard
Aging adults with mental illness have significantly higher rates of healthcare utilization than their mentally healthy peers, new research shows.

An analysis of comorbidity levels and healthcare utilization in older adults with lifelong, serious mental illness shows that these patients have higher rates of emergency care, longer hospital stays, are more likely to fall, and have alcohol and substance abuse problems compared with mentally healthy control individuals.

"Our study illustrates the continuing vulnerability of seriously mentally ill patients as they grow older," Hugh C. Hendrie, MB, ChB, DSc, geriatric psychiatrist and health services researcher from the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine and Center for Aging Research, both in Indianapolis, told Medscape Medical News.

"An integrated healthcare system that addresses both their medical and psychosocial needs will be required to care for these patients whose numbers are increasing by the year," Dr. Hendrie added.
Iqbal "Ike" Ahmed, MD, geriatric psychiatrist from University of Hawaii and Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, who was not involved in the study, agrees. "The older, and younger, mentally ill populations who often have comorbid medical and psychiatric illnesses beg for integrated care."