Decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and serum apolipoprotein AIconcentrations are highly correlated with the severity of Alzheimer's disease

Serum apolipoprotein (apo) AI concentration was studied in 98 Alzheimer's d isease (AD) patients (77.56 +/- 8.83 years) and 59 healthy, elderly control s (75.37 +/- 5.27 years). ApoAI levels were significantly lower (p < 10(-7) ) in AD patients. An apoAI cutoff value of 1.50 g/L, could distinguish betw een the two groups with a sensitivity of 71% and a specificity of 69%. ApoA I levels were highly correlated with mini-mental state (MMSE) scores of pat ients (p < 0.0001). These relationships remained significant after adjustme nt for multiple testing. Our findings raise the question of the potential i mplication of apoAI in the etiopathology of AD and bring serum apoAI concen tration to the fore as an important biochemical marker. (C) 2000 Elsevier S cience Inc. All rights reserved.