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. 2020 Jan-Mar;14(1):35-40.
doi: 10.1590/1980-57642020dn14-010006.

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

Gustavo Alves Andrade Dos Santos  1   2 , Paulo Celso Pardi  3
Affiliations

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

Gustavo Alves Andrade Dos Santos et al. Dement Neuropsychol. 2020 Jan-Mar.

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

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.

Atualmente, as hipóteses mais prováveis como causa da doença de Alzheimer são a deposição do peptídeo beta amiloide no córtex cerebral e a hiperfosforilação da proteína Tau. O diagnóstico da doença de Alzheimer baseia-se na exclusão de outras doenças, avaliações comportamentais e exames de imagem e sangue. A biotecnologia criou perspectivas interessantes para a detecção precoce da doença de Alzheimer, pela análise sanguínea, com atenção especial às plaquetas, hemoglobina e vitamina B12.

Objetivo: Avaliar as concentrações de plaquetas, hemoglobina e vitamina B12 no sangue de idosos com e sem demência de Alzheimer.

Métodos: O estudo de caso-controle envolveu 120 indivíduos, buscando correlação entre mudanças nas concentrações de plaquetas, hemoglobina e vitamina B12 em pacientes com DA confirmada e indivíduos do grupo de inclusão, sem DA.

Resultados: Os níveis de hemoglobina e plaquetas são estatisticamente mais baixos em pacientes com DA. A avaliação bioquímica em pacientes com DA e grupos saudáveis para vitamina B12 mostrou uma diminuição nos níveis deste composto em pacientes com DA.

Conclusão: Demonstramos a viabilidade do uso de biomarcadores sanguíneos como marcadores preditivos para o diagnóstico de DA.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; biomarkers; dementia; hemoglobin; platelets; vitamin B12.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

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