Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Foy, C.J.
Right arrow Articles by Passmore, A.P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Foy, C.J.
Right arrow Articles by Passmore, A.P.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Q J Med 2001; 94: 631-635
© 2001 Association of Physicians

Plasma somatostatin and gastrointestinal peptides in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia

C.J. Foy, J. Ardill1, D. Filmore1, J.T. Lawson2 and A.P. Passmore

From the Department of Geriatric Medicine, Queens University of Belfast, 1 Department of Medicine, Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast, and 2 Department of Radiology, Belfast City Hospital, Belfast, UK

Received 28 August 2000 Few markers distinguish between different dementia types. As dementia affects many body systems outside the central nervous system, we investigated gastrointestinal regulatory peptides as possible disease markers in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD). Subjects with mild-to-moderate dementia were diagnosed as probable AD and VaD according to defined criteria. Gastrointestinal peptides were stimulated using a standardized meal test, administered after an overnight fast to 58 dementia patients (40 AD, 18 VaD) and 47 controls matched for age and sex. Blood samples were taken at designated time intervals, and basal and stimulated plasma concentrations of eleven peptides were determined by radio-immunoassay. Results were analysed using the Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance; the Mann-Whitney U test was used in post hoc analysis where appropriate. There were significant differences in somatostatin levels but in none of the other peptides. Basal somatostatin was significantly increased in VaD compared to controls (p<0.05), and AD (p<0.005). Maximum stimulated levels were significantly elevated in VaD compared to AD (p<0.01). Median basal and stimulated levels of somatostatin were increased in VaD compared to AD, but the overlap in individual values between the groups makes it unlikely to be useful in distinguishing the two types of dementia.

Address correspondence to Dr A.P. Passmore, Department of Geriatric Medicine, The Queen's University of Belfast, Whitla Medical Building, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.