Loss of Y Chromosome Increases The Alzheimer's Risk In Males

Aging men who lose Y chromosomes from their red blood cells are at an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. These are the finding of a new study conducted by a team of researchers in the Uppsala University in Sweden.

The researchers conducted their study on a group of 3,200 men. Some of the members of the subject population had Alzheimer's disease, whereas the remaining ones were normal.

The team found that Alzheimer's patients were three times more likely to show a loss of Y chromosome from their blood cells. On the other hand, older men, who were otherwise normal, with lost Y chromosome were at a greater risk of developing the diseases within the next decade.

The researchers say that their results do not prove a direct link between loss of the Y chromosome and onset of Alzheimer's. However, it adds to the evidence that the loss of chromosome may increase the risk of the disease.

According to Lars Forsberg, study co-author, the research findings raise the possibility of using a blood test to check for loss of Y chromosome in patients to assess if they are at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

The researchers took into account other factors linked to Alzheimer's risk, including diabetes, hypertension, age and education levels and found that men with missing Y chromosome were seven times more likely to develop the disease.

While women have two X chromosomes, males possess one X and one Y chromosomes. Initially, researchers used to think that Y chromosome only plays a role in sex determination and normal sperm production, however, now it believes that it might play an important role in a number of other factors because of the presence of a huge number of genes.

The complete details of the study have been published in the American Journal of Human Genetics.