P2‐031: Biomarkers associated with cardiovascular risk in the texas Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care Consortium (TARCC) Cohort: LpPla2 and Homocysteine
Year: 2011
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Although risk factors for cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and Alzheimer's disease overlap, there are scant data regarding LpPla2, an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease even in the absence of hypercholesterolemia. We investigated the hypothesis that LpPla2 levels differ in Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases versus controls and looked for interactions between this biomarker and homocysteine levels, or interactions with the presence of cardiovascular disease or its risk factors. We classified AD patients and controls by standardized procedures. We analyzed levels of LpPla2 and homocysteine in serum from N = 197 AD cases and N = 198 controls enrolled in the longitudinal TARCC study. We dichotomized both variables at the median and used Fisher's exact test (unadjusted) and logistic regression (adjusted) to examine the predictive value of each biomarker on case-control status. We defined cardiovascular disease equivalent (CVDE) as either: 1. History of MI, cardiac arrest, angina pectoris, angioplasty/endarterectomy/stent, cardiac bypass, congestive heart failure, stroke or TIA; or 2. History of diabetes mellitus; or 3. Any two of the following-history of hypertension or on antihypertensives, history of hypercholesterolemia or on cholesterol lowering drugs, current cigarette smoking. In the adjusted models, we covaried age, sex and body mass index (BMI) and also examined interaction between CVDE and each biomarker separately. Mean (SD) LpPla2 was 297 (71.6) in AD cases and 281 (65.6) in controls, and mean (SD) homocysteine was 16 (9.0) in AD cases, and 13 (5.0) in controls. Both biomarkers significantly predicted case-control status in unadjusted and adjusted models (p = 0.005 for LpPla2, adjusted; p = 0.009 homocysteine, adjusted), with higher levels associated with AD. There was no significant interaction between the effects of the two biomarkers. The interaction between CVDE and LpPla2 was significant. LpPla2 levels were higher in AD cases compared to controls, and may be an independent risk factor for AD. Once the disease is established, the predictive value of this biomarker was independent of homocysteine levels, which were elevated in AD cases as expected. The effect of LpPla2 on differentiating cases and controls was enhanced in patients who also had cardiovascular disease or its risk factors.
Source: Alzheimer s & Dementia
Institutions: Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, University of North Texas, The University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2142592009