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Prior blood transfusion as a potential risk factor for Alzheimer's disease

Departments of Neurology (Drs. Bohnen and Kokmen), Anesthesiology (Dr. Warner), and Health Sciences Research (Dr. Kurland and Mrs. Beard), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

We performed a population-based, case-control study to evaluate prior blood transfusion as a potential risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). All cases were incident cases of AD from 1975 to 1984 with residence for 40 years or more in Olmsted County, Minnesota, prior to their onset of dementia (N = 252). There was one age- and gender-matched control for each case. We ascertained the number of blood transfusions prior to the age of onset of dementia and the corresponding year in each control. Sixty-five cases and 55 controls had at least one prior blood transfusion. We did not find a significantly increased risk of AD for the events of at least one, three, or six blood transfusions.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. N. Bohnen, Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street Southwest, Rochester, MN 55905.

Received November 29, 1993. Accepted for publication in final form December 27, 1993.