Haptoglobin phenotypes in dementia of the Alzheimer type

Previous investigations of the association of haptoglobin (Hp) with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) have reported contradictory results. In the present study, we phenotyped 69 patients clinically diagnosed as having DAT and, for comparison, 64 cognitively intact individuals. We failed to find a significant association between either of the Hp alleles and DAT. Instead, we observed a nonsignificant decrease in the Hp-1 gene frequency in the DAT population (0.34) as compared to our normal elderly comparison group (0.41).