Educational attainment and socioeconomic status of patients with autopsy-confirmed Alzheimer disease

Objective: To determine whether patients with autopsy-confirmed Alzheimer d isease (AD) have different educational attainment and socioeconomic status than subjects without neurodegenerative disease. Design Comparison of 2 groups of autopsied patients. Information on educati on and occupation was obtained by telephone interview of relatives conducte d post mortem. Patients: One hundred fifteen patients enrolled in the University of Wester n Ontario Dementia Study with dementia and fulfilling diagnostic criteria o f AD at autopsy were compared with 142 patients 65 years or older without d ementia who died in the hospital and in whom autopsy did not show neurodege nerative disease. Main Outcome Measures: Highest education level attained, years of education , occupation, and socioeconomic and income levels. All results were adjuste d for sex, age at time of death, and year of birth. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in education, occupation, or socioeconomic and income levels between the groups. Conclusions: There is no evidence that educational attainment is different in patients with AD than in subjects who die in the hospital from other dis eases. These results indicate that education does not protect against advan ced AD.