title: Education, occupation and retirement age effects on the age of onset of Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effects of early life education, mid life employment and later life retirement age on the age of onset (AOO) of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Multiple regression analyses were carried out using data for 1320 probable AD cases, of which 382 were males with employment and retirement age data, using informant based information on education and employment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No relation was found between years of education, best qualification obtained, or employment variables in males and the AOO of AD. A significant effect of later retirement age in delaying the AOO of AD was seen in males.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study no effect of education or employment was seen, although this may be due to limited variance in the study population. The significant effect of retirement age may have several explanations, the most interesting of which would be the suggestion that active employment later in life allows an individual to prolong their cognitive assets above the threshold for dementia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, UK. michelle.lupton@iop.kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Michelle K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Lupton
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stahl
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Archer
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Foy
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Poppe
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lovestone
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hollingworth
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Micheal J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Owen
authors.forename: Kimberley
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dowzell
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sims
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brayne
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rubinsztein
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lawlor
authors.forename: Aoibhinn
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Powell
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012179:Retirement; D012307:Risk Factors