Anemia and Blood Biomarkers of Alzheimer Disease in Dementia Development

Is late-life anemia associated with blood biomarkers reflecting Alzheimer disease pathology, neurodegeneration, and glial activation and with dementia risk?In this cohort study of 2282 dementia-free adults aged 60 years or older, anemia was cross-sectionally associated with higher levels of phosphorylated tau 217, neurofilament light chain, and glial fibrillary acidic protein and longitudinally associated with a significantly higher risk of incident dementia over a mean (SD) follow-up of 9.3 (4.3) years. The highest dementia risk occurred when anemia and elevated biomarkers coexisted.These findings suggest that anemia may interact with neuropathologic processes, potentially accelerating dementia development.

Corresponding Author: Martina Valletta, MD, Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Tomtebodavägen 18A, 171 65 Solna, Sweden (martina.valletta@ki.se).

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