BU Researchers Examine Role of Inflammation in Alzheimer's Disease

A study published in JAMA Network Open used data from the Framingham Heart Study to determine that people with the ApoE4 gene who also had chronic inflammation had a dramatically higher risk of Alzheimer's, reports the Boston Globe . The investigators suggest that treating this inflammation could prevent the disease. "Since many seniors have chronic low-grade inflammation after suffering from common diseases like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, pneumonia, and urinary tract infection, or after having surgeries, rigorously treating chronic systemic inflammation in ApoE4 carriers could be effective for prevention of Alzheimer's dementia," states Boston University School of Medicine Professor Wendy Qiu. The research team examined people who had the ApoE4 gene and measurements of their levels of C-reactive protein, which indicates the amount of inflammation in the body. According to Harvard Medical School Professor Cynthia Lemere, "These results provide support for the role of peripheral, chronic inflammation in AD, and suggest that early treatment with anti-inflammatory therapies may be helpful in staving off AD, at least in ApoE4 carriers."