Researchers at ECU’s Centre for Precision Health have uncovered a significant genetic connection between Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and several coronary artery disease (CAD) related disorders.
Dementia, of which AD is the major cause, and coronary artery or heart disease, are the two leading underlying causes of death in Australians.
The new research found that several heart disease-related factors such as angina, arteriosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, and coronary artery disease as well as lipids such as cholesterol, triglycerides and lipoproteins (HDL and LDL) could share similar biological origins with AD.
“There is considerable evidence from observational and other studies to support a connection between these conditions, however, the intricate biological mechanisms of AD are poorly understood, and its relationship with lipids and CAD traits remains unresolved,” lead researcher and Centre for Precision Health PhD candidate, Ms Artika Kirby said.
“Our study employed a genetic approach to investigate the intricate relationships of these comorbid conditions, providing new insights into their shared biological underpinnings of these conditions.”
The researchers performed a comprehensive analysis to systematically assess the genetic relationship of AD with 13 lipids (from eight representative classes) and seven CAD traits, using well-regarded and advanced statistical genetic analytic tools.
“We first tested the causal association between CAD traits and AD, with CAD traits as the exposure variables. We found no evidence of a significant causal effect of the seven CAD traits on AD risk,” Ms Kirby explained.
“However, we observed similar significant and positive global genetic correlations between LDL and all the CAD traits except cardiac dysrhythmias.”
The team said that the connection between CAD and AD may partly reflect shared risk factors such as dyslipidaemia and inflammation, noting there was also the potential for shared genetic predispositions across all these factors.
“I am optimistic that our findings open new avenues of research that have the potential to enhance the lives of millions. These insights could translate into improvements in patient care and outcomes for these two leading health issues – not only in Australia but around the world,” Ms Kirby said.
“Notably, our bi-directional Mendelian randomisation analyses did not provide evidence for a causal link between AD, lipids, and CAD traits, underscoring the complexity of these genetic relationships and indicating that shared genetic susceptibility may better explain their observed correlations.”