Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) and Alzheimer's dementia in older subjects.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the association of serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels with dementia of Alzheimer's type (DAT) and impairment in selected cognitive domains (memory, language, attention and working memory) in 158 patients (75.5+/-6.7 years, 46 men) with first-diagnosed probable DAT and in 158 age- and sex-matched controls. As secondary goal, we evaluated whether DHEA-S baseline levels were associated with cumulative 6-year mortality.


RESULTS
A negative correlation between DHEA-S levels and age was observed (R=-0.25, p<0.001). Age-stratified analysis did not show significant differences of DHEA-S levels between DAT patients and controls. No significant association was found between DHEA-S levels and impairment in selected cognitive domains. Cox regression analysis showed that baseline DHEA-S levels were not associated with cumulative 6-year mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
In a sample of newly-diagnosed DAT patients, we did not find significant association between presence of DAT or impairment in cognitive domains and DHEA-S levels; baseline DHEA-S levels are not associated with cumulative mortality in patients and controls.
Bo
Mario
M
Section of Geriatrics, Department of Medical and Surgical Disciplines, University of Turin, Torino, Italy.
Massaia
Massimiliano
M
Zannella
Patrizia
P
Cappa
Giorgetta
G
Ferrario
Ermanno
E
Rainero
Innocenzo
I
Arvat
Emanuela
E
Giordano
Roberta
R
Molaschi
Mario
M
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015996:Survival Rate
D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate