A Relationship Between Alzheimer's Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Through the Measurement of Serum Amyloid-β Autoantibodies

Abstract

Increasing evidence suggests that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is strongly correlated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). To examine the relationship between T2DM and AD, autoantibodies against amyloid-Aβ were measured in the serum of T2DM patients and age-matched controls. Levels of Aβ autoantibody were measured by ELISA in serum samples of T2DM patients (n = 92) and age-matched control group (n = 106). Aβ autoantibody levels were increased in T2DM compared with age-matched controls by 45.4 ± 8.1% (p < 0.001). Females had higher Aβ autoantibody levels than males in both T2DM and control group. Aβ autoantibody levels in the T2DM group were positively correlated with the levels of cholesterol (p = 0.011), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (p = 0.020), and triglycerides (p = 0.039). In conclusion, the level of Aβ autoantibody is dramatically elevated in patient serum of T2DM, and, as such, might be used as a possible biomarker for T2DM.