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American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias logoLink to American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
. 2006 Mar-Apr;21(2):131–136. doi: 10.1177/153331750602100214

Family history of dementia does not influence the progression of Alzheimer's disease at two years: Results from the REAL.FR Study

Frédéric Cortes, Sophie Gillette-Guyonnet, Fati Nourhashemi, Cantet Christelle, Bruno Vellas 1
PMCID: PMC10833240  PMID: 16634470

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, family history of dementia, progression

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