Biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease: Evaluation of platelets, hemoglobin and vitamin B12

ABSTRACT Currently, the most likely hypotheses as the cause of Alzheimer’s disease are deposition of amyloid beta peptide in the cerebral cortex and hyperphosphorylation of Tau protein. The diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is based on the exclusion of other diseases, behavioral assessments, and blood and imaging tests. Biotechnology has created interesting perspectives for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease through blood analysis, with special attention to platelets, hemoglobin and vitamin B12. Objective: To evaluate the concentrations of platelets, hemoglobin and vitamin B12 in the blood of older adults with and without dementia of Alzheimer’s disease. Methods: A case-control study involving 120 individuals was conducted, seeking to establish a correlation between changes in platelet, hemoglobin and vitamin B12 concentrations in patients with confirmed AD and in individuals in the inclusion group without AD. The study met the established ethical requirements. Results: Hemoglobin and platelet levels were statistically lower in patients with AD. The biochemical evaluation in AD patient and healthy groups for vitamin B12 showed a decrease in the levels of this compound in patients with AD. Conclusion: We demonstrated the feasibility of the use of blood biomarkers as predictive markers for the diagnosis of AD.

摘要：目前，阿尔茨海默病（Alzheimer’s Disease）病因的主流假说为大脑皮层β淀粉样肽（amyloid beta peptide）沉积与Tau蛋白过度磷酸化。阿尔茨海默病的诊断需通过排除其他疾病、行为评估以及血液与影像学检查完成。生物技术为通过血液分析实现阿尔茨海默病的早期检测提供了颇具前景的研究思路，其中尤其关注血小板、血红蛋白与维生素B12三项指标。
研究目的：评估伴与不伴阿尔茨海默病性痴呆的老年人群血液中血小板、血红蛋白及维生素B12的浓度水平。
方法：本研究为病例对照研究，共纳入120名受试者，旨在明确确诊阿尔茨海默病（AD）患者与非AD入组人群的血小板、血红蛋白及维生素B12浓度变化之间的相关性。本研究符合既定伦理规范。
结果：经统计学分析，阿尔茨海默病患者的血红蛋白与血小板水平显著低于对照组。针对AD患者与健康人群的维生素B12生化检测结果显示，AD患者体内该物质的水平有所下降。
结论：本研究证实了将血液生物标志物作为阿尔茨海默病（AD）诊断预测指标的可行性。