New laboratory markers in diagnosis of alzheimer dementia.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of our work was to assess the role of tau protein, beta amyloid and cystatin C in diagnosis of Alzheimer dementia (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases (NDs).


METHODS
The levels of tau protein, beta amyloid and cystatin C were assessed in a set of 79 patients with ND (38 men and 41 women; aged 22-90 years; mean, 61.6 +/- 15.6 years) and in a control group of 79 subjects with a healthy central nervous system (38 men and 41 women; aged 20-91 years; mean, 61.5 +/- 15.1 years).


RESULTS
When compared with the subjects in the control group, a statistically significant decrease in tau protein levels was found in patients with ND, an increase in tau protein levels in patients with AD and an increase in cystatin C cerebrospinal fluid/serum index in the ND + AD group.


CONCLUSIONS
Our work only confirmed the previously reported results in part. Although tau protein seems to be a quite reliable marker of AD, the role of beta amyloid in AD diagnosis remains at the least questionable. In the case of cystatin C, our results would seem to confirm the views of certain authors that cystatin C will probably not become a new 'revolutionary' marker contributing to differential diagnostics.
Mares
J
J
Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Olomouc, Czech Republic. maresja@seznam.cz
Kanovsky
P
P
Herzig
R
R
Stejskal
D
D
Vavrouskova
J
J
Hlustik
P
P
Vranova
H
H
Burval
S
S
Zapletalova
J
J
Pidrman
V
V
Obereigneru
R
R
Suchy
A
A
Vesely
J
J
Podivinsky
J
J
Urbanek
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D055316:Cystatin C / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D015415:Biomarkers; D055316:Cystatin C; D016875:tau Proteins