Sn. Romas et al., The deletion polymorphism and Val1000lle in alpha-2-macroglobulin and Alzheimer disease in Caribbean Hispanics, NEUROSCI L, 279(3), 2000, pp. 133-136
The association between polymorphisms in the alpha-2-macroglobulin (alpha 2
m) gene and Alzheimer's disease remains in doubt because of conflicting res
ults in independent case-control and family studies. We examined the associ
ation between Alzheimer's disease and alpha 2m polymorphisms in Caribbean H
ispanic families. The odds of having the alpha 2m deletion/insertion polymo
rphism was increased 3-fold for family members with Alzheimer's disease com
pared to healthy family members, rising to 5-fold after adjusting for APOE-
epsilon 4. In contrast, there was no relationship between the alpha 2m Val1
000lle polymorphism and Alzheimer's disease in these families. The inconsis
tencies in studies cited above and the modest association between alpha 2m
and Alzheimer's disease found in the Caribbean Hispanic families reported h
ere, suggest that the overall effect of this gene on susceptibility is smal
l and may be limited to certain populations or families. (C) 2000 Published
by Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.