Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 8, 2026

Determining Soil-transmitted Helminth Infection Status and Physical Fitness of School-aged Children
Published on: August 22, 2012
Public Health
Xue Zhong1, Gengjie Jia2, Zhijun Yin3
1Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Managing health conditions like diabetes and sleep disorders may reduce Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk. Identifying these conditions early can promote brain health and potentially halve AD incidence.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Public Health
Background:
- Effective management of certain health conditions can promote brain health and reduce Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk.
- A five-year delay in AD onset could decrease population incidence by 50%.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically identify medical conditions associated with the subsequent development of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
- To discover and validate health conditions that occur more frequently in individuals who later develop AD.
- To assess the connection between enriched phenotypes and AD genetics.
Main Methods:
- Utilized electronic health records (EHRs) from two independent databases (over 153 million individuals).
- Tracked EHRs for 10 years prior to AD diagnosis, comparing condition prevalence between AD cases and matched controls.
- Assessed phenotype-AD genetics connections using large-scale biobanks (BioVU and UK Biobank).
Main Results:
- Identified over 70 medical conditions consistently associated with higher AD incidence across databases.
- Confirmed known AD risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, depression) and identified less-reported associations (hypothyroidism).
- Found associations between certain conditions, medications, and AD genetics.
Conclusions:
- Longitudinal EHR analysis robustly identified health conditions linked to increased AD incidence.
- Highlights the importance of managing these identified health conditions for brain health and AD risk reduction.
More Related Videos
09:33Visualizing Field Data Collection Procedures of Exposure and Biomarker Assessments for the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial in India
Published on: December 23, 2022
07:20Dried Blood Spot Collection of Health Biomarkers to Maximize Participation in Population Studies
Published on: January 28, 2014
Related Concept Videos
Primary Healthcare Services
In 1978, international leaders convened in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, for what would be a pivotal event in global health. The Alma-Ata Declaration was the first to call...
Levels of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention
In primary prevention, actions taken before disease onset prevent the disease from...
Preventive Healthcare Services
Principles of Disease Surveillance
Healthcare Agencies II
Parish nursing is a growing specialty nursing profession that focuses on holistic healthcare, health promotion, and illness prevention. It blends professional nursing practice with a health ministry, focusing on health and healing within the context of a Christian community. Parish nurses serve as health educators, referral sources,...
Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is...