Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T01:35:11.887Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Case-Control Study of Alzheimer's Disease and Aluminium Occupation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Emad Salib  and
Valerie Hillier
Emad Salib*
Affiliation:
Winwick Hospital, Warrington WA2 8RR
Valerie Hillier
Affiliation:
Medical School, Manchester University, Manchester M13 9PL
*
Emad Salib, 16 Carriage Drive, Frodsham, Cheshire WA6 6DX
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

We examined clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's disease patients and controls, and collected information from informants, to examine the association between Alzheimer's disease and aluminium occupation.

Method

An unmatched case-control study comparing 198 cases of Alzheimer's disease (ADRDA–NINCDS diagnostic criteria), to selected controls (164 other dementias and 176 non-dementing group) in respect of their occupational history. The subjects included all patients referred to and seen by the first author during a 2 year study period.

Results

Twenty-two of 198 patients with Alzheimer's disease (11.1 %) reported having an aluminium occupation at some stage in their working life compared with 39 of 340 controls (11.5%), odds ratio 0.98, 95% CI 0.53–1.75, P > 0.05. Aluminium workers reported to have worked in direct contact with aluminium dust and fumes did not appear to be at any greater risk than other workers who were employed at the same factory, odds ratio 1.19, 95% CI, 0.64–4.18, P > 0.05.

Conclusion

There is no evidence to support an association between having previously worked in an aluminium factory and the risk of Alzheimer's disease later in life.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 168 , Issue 2 , February 1996 , pp. 244 - 249
Copyright
Copyright © 1996 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Amaducci, L. A., Fratiglioni, L., Rocca, W., et al (1986) Risk factors for clinically diagnosed Alzheimer disease: A case control study of an Italian population. Neurology, 36, 922–931.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Broe, G., Henderson, A. S., Creasey, H., et al (1990) A case control study of Alzheimer's disease in Australia. Neurology, 40, 1698–1707.Google Scholar
Doll, R. (1993) Review: Alzheimer's disease and environmental aluminium. Age & Ageing, 22, 138–153.Google Scholar
Edwardson, J. A. (1991) Alzheimer's disease and aluminium. Alzheimer's Review, 1, 24–34.Google Scholar
Folstein, M. F., McHough, P., et al (1975) The mini mental state examination. A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for clinician. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12, 189–198.Google Scholar
Hachinski, V. C. et al (1975) Cerebral blood flow in dementia. Archives of Neurology, 32 632–637.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heyman, A., William, E., Wilkinson, W., et al (1984) Alzheimer's disease: A study of epidemiological aspects. Annals of Neurology, 15, 335–341.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kukull, W. A., Larson, E. B., Reifler, B. V., et al (1990) Inter-rater reliability of Alzheimer's disease diagnosis. Neurology, 40, 257–260.Google Scholar
Martyn, C. N., Barker, D., Osmond, C., et al (1989) Geographical relation between Alzheimer's disease and aluminium in drinking water. Lancet, 8629, 59–62.Google Scholar
Mclaughlin, A., Kazantzis, G., et al (1962) Pulmonary fibrosis and encephalopathy associated with the inhalation of aluminium dust. British Journal of Industrial Medicine, 19, 253–263.Google Scholar
Mckhann, G., Drachman, D., Folstein, M., et al (1984) Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Report of the NINCDS-ADARA, Task force on Alzheimer's disease. Neurology, 34, 939–944.Google Scholar
Michel, P., et al (1990) Study of the relationship between aluminium concentration in drinking water and risk of Alzheimer's disease. In Basic Mechanism. Diagnosis and Therapeutic Strategies (ed. Iqbal, K.). Chichester: Wiley.Google Scholar
Rifat, S. (1994) Aluminium hypothesis lives. Lancet, 343.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rifat, S., Eastwood, M., Corey, P. N., et al (1990) Effect of exposure of miners to aluminium powder. Lancet, 8724, 59–62.Google Scholar
Sjogren, B., Hogested, C., et al (1990) Neuropsychiatric symptoms among welders exposed to neurotoxic metals. British Journal of Industrial Medicine, 47, 704–707.Google Scholar
Wilcock, G. K. (1992) Alzheimer's disease and the environment: A clinician's viewpoint. Royal Society of Medicine, round table series 26, 111–115.Google Scholar
Wisniewski, H. & Klatzo, I. (1965) Experimental production of neurofibrillary degeneration. Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology, 27, 187–199.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.