( The following is quoted entirely from MSN News for all of our readers. Thanks to the report) New World
April 15, 2010 1:24 p.m. EST
Topics: alzheimer's disease, medical research, disease, health, United States
Ayinde O. Chase - AHN News Editor
Miami, FL, United States (AHN) - A gene has been identified that appears to increase a person's risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease. The new research findings sheds light on the most common type of Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics in Miami studied long stretches of DNA and gene variation in the human genomes of 2,269 people with late-onset Alzheimer's disease and 3,107 people without the disease through what's known as a genome-wide association study. They hopes to pinpoint differences in the genetic sequence between people with and without Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Adam Naj, with the University of Miami Miller School, said the study found that individuals with a particular genetic variation were almost twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease as those people without the variation.
Researchers said uncovering this gene is important because the gene is known to be involved in influencing the body's levels of homocysteine, and high levels of homocysteine are strong risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease. The study also linked variations of the gene to a possible higher risk of coronary artery disease.
The World Health Organization estimates that there are currently 18 million people worldwide with Alzheimer's disease. This figure is likely to nearly double to 34 million by 2025. There are at least five million Americans currently diagnosed with the disease today.
Read more: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7018410028#ixzz0lCj4wwsW
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