Subjective memory complaints with and without objective memory impairment: relationship with risk factors for dementia.
OBJECTIVE
The authors investigated the frequency distribution of well-established risk factors for dementia--high plasma homocysteine and the apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele (APOE epsilon4)--among older women with subjective memory complaints (SMC) but no cognitive impairment, and with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).


METHODS
This was a cross-sectional, community-based study.


RESULTS
Women with MCI had higher total plasma homocysteine than healthy-comparison subjects. There was also a nonsignificant excess of APOE epsilon4 carriers in the MCI than in the healthy group. Participants with SMC had higher depression and anxiety scores than healthy-comparison subjects, but did not differ from subjects in the healthy-comparison group in relation to their total plasma homocysteine and APOE epsilon4 distribution.


CONCLUSIONS
MCI seems to be more closely related to well-established risk factors for dementia than is SMC.
Lautenschlager
Nicola T
NT
School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, WA 6009, Australia. nicolal@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
Flicker
Leon
L
Vasikaran
Samuel
S
Leedman
Peter
P
Almeida
Osvaldo P
OP
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D000647:Amnesia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000097:blood; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012803:Sick Role; D014904:Western Australia
D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D006710:Homocysteine