The purpose of this study was to determine whether a family history of dementia in afirst-degree relative influenced the progression of Alzheimer s disease (AD) after two years offollow-up. Patients were recruited in the REAL.FR (Reseau sur la Maladie d'Alzheimer Franqais) study and underwent behavioral, global, nutritional, and medical evaluation with assessment ofcognitivefunction and independence every six months. At inclusion, 113 patients reported a family history of dementia, and 358 patients had no family history of dementia. There was no statistical difference for any factors between the two groups at baseline. After two years offollow-up, a similar percentage of patients were still followed in each group, and although most parameters showed significant deterioration, there was no difference between the two groups, indicating that a family history of dementia does not appear to influence the progression of AD.
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