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Association between Alzheimer's disease and bound autochthonous IgM on T cells
S H Kell1, R M Allman, L E Harrell
1Center for Aging, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA.
Objective:
To determine whether there is an association between the number of peripheral T cells binding IgM per total T cell population (%IgM+ T cells) and dementia.
Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Setting:
Two inpatient and two outpatient sites at a university medical center.
Participants:
Fifty-three adults.
Measurements:
Peripheral blood was collected from each individual, and the %IgM+ T cells was determined by flow cytometry. The data obtained by medical record chart review were analyzed to determine whether the %IgM+ T cells correlated with cognitive diagnoses, demographic variables, medical diagnoses, or prescribed medications.
Results:
The %IgM+ T cells was negatively correlated with MMSE scores (r = -.33, P = .016). There was a significant difference in the mean %IgM+ T cells between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and non-AD patients (35.6% +/- 30.2% vs 14.6% +/- 23.9%, P < .001) but no statistically significant association between the mean %IgM+ T cells and age, sex, race, prescribed medications (except gastrointestinal (GI) medications), or medical diagnoses (except stroke). After statistically controlling for GI medications and stroke, AD remained independently associated with the %IgM+ T cells (P = .008).
Conclusions:
Patients with AD had significantly more of their T cells coated with IgM than did non-AD patients.