title: Is there any relation between pseudoexfoliation syndrome and Alzheimer's type dementia?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the frequency of Alzheimer-related dementia in patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PEX).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-seven patients with PEX and 67 age-, gender-, and educational-background-matched control subjects were compared for the presence of Alzheimer-related dementia according to DSM- IV-TR. The effects of cataract, glaucoma, additional ocular and systemic disease on the dementia incidence were also evaluated in patients with PEX and the control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequency of Alzheimer-related dementia was higher in patients with PEX (p = 0.0001). The frequency of dementia in patients who had cataract was higher than in patients without cataract (p = 0.003). There was also an association between additional ocular disease and dementia (p < 0.05). However, there was no association between systemic disease and dementia (p > 0.05). Furthermore, there was no difference for the frequency of dementia between patients who had glaucoma or not among patients with PEX (p = 0.953).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The increased frequency of Alzheimer-related dementia in patients with PEX is important and a possible association between PEX and Alzheimer's disease could be present.
authors.affiliation: Inonu University School of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Malatya, Turkey. tongabay@superonline.com
authors.forename: Tongabay
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cumurcu
authors.forename: Ferhat
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dorak
authors.forename: Birgul Elbozan
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Cumurcu
authors.forename: Lale Gonenir
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Erbay
authors.forename: Ercan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ozsoy
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002386:Cataract / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D017889:Exfoliation Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology