A gene variation associated with aggressive progression of Alzheimer’s was identified in patients with high levels of a protein linked to the disease.
The findings could help predict how quickly patients move from their initial diagnosis to full-blown dementia, researchers said.
Knowing that certain patients are going to develop the disease very quickly could also help experts better analyse the effectiveness of trial drugs designed to slow its development.
Researchers from Washington University in St Louis, Missouri studied DNA variations in 846 patients with elevated levels of a certain form of the tau protein in brain fluid that is associated with the disease.
Their research was published in the Public Library of Science Genetics journal.
First author Carlos Cruchaga said: “We have looked at data from three separate, international studies, and in all three, we found the same association. So we are confident that it is real and that this gene variant is associated with progression in Alzheimer’s disease.”
Telegraph uk