PRIOR BLOOD-TRANSFUSIONS AND ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE

We performed a population-based, case-control study to evaluate prior blood transfusion as a potential risk factor for Alzheimer's disease ( AD). All cases were incident cases of AD from 1975 to 1984 with reside nce for 40 years or more in Olmsted County, Minnesota, prior to their onset of dementia (N = 252). There was one age- and gender-matched con trol for each case. We ascertained the number of blood transfusions pr ior to the age of onset of dementia and the corresponding year in each control. Sixty-five cases and 55 controls had at least one prior bloo d transfusion. We did not find a significantly increased risk of AD fo r the events of at least one, three, or six blood transfusions.