New genetic risk factor linked to Alzheimer's disease

The study of 429 sibling pairs over the age of 65 and with a diagnosis of definite or probable Alzheimer's disease found that over 64 per cent of pairs shared the same genetic marker on chromosome 10.

The research, presented at the First International Quality Research in Dementia Conference in London, 19-22 November 2000, by Professor Mike Owen, suggests that the chromosome 10 locus is a major risk factor for late onset Alzheimer's disease.

Previous research has identified a genetic risk factor for late onset Alzheimer's disease linked to forms of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) - a protein found in the blood and brain.