The relation of cigarette smoking to incident Alzheimer's disease in a biracial urban community population.
The relationship between smoking status and incident Alzheimer's disease (AD) was investigated in a random stratified sample of a biracial community in Chicago. Analyses are based on 1,064 persons (of 1,134 evaluated) who had data on smoking status, disease incidence, and key covariates such as apolipoprotein allele status. During a mean of about 4 years of follow-up, 170 persons met criteria for incident AD. Current smoking was associated with increased risk of incident AD (OR = 3.4, 95% CI = 1.4-8.0) compared to persons who never smoked. There was no apparent increase in risk of AD for former smokers compared to persons who never smoked (OR = 0.9, 95% CI = 0.5-1.7). Apolipoprotein E allele status modified this association in that former smokers with a upsilon4 allele were less likely to develop AD (p = 0.04) than those who never smoked. Former smokers also appeared to have a reduced risk of developing AD as their pack-years of smoking increased (p = 0.02)such that the odds of developing AD increased by 50% for every 10 years of smoking cessation (OR = 1.3, CI = 0.9-1.7). The results suggest that older people who currently smoke are more likely to develop AD compared to those who never smoked; the relation between those who used to smoke but quit and the risk of AD is complex and requires further research.
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Armour Academic Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. naggarw@ush.edu
Neelum T
NT
Aggarwal
Julia L
JL
Bienias
David A
DA
Bennett
Robert S
RS
Wilson
Martha Clare
MC
Morris
Julie A
JA
Schneider
Raj C
RC
Shah
Denis A
DA
Evans
D001741:Black or African American / Q000235:genetics; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D002641:Chicago / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013997:Time Factors; D014504:Urban Health; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics
D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E