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Abstract Details

Association of Inflammatory Disorders with Degenerative Neuropathologies
Aging, Dementia, and Behavioral Neurology
Aging and Dementia Posters (7:00 AM-5:00 PM)
096
To determine whether a prior diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis or thyroid disease is associated with increased odds of degenerative neuropathologies at autopsy among participants in the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) database.
Clinical dementia is more prevalent in individuals with concomitant immune-mediated disorders, such as thyroid disease and rheumatoid arthritis. However, little is known about the relationship between these disorders and degenerative pathologies.
We identified NACC participants with available autopsy data and information about prior diagnoses of inflammatory arthritis and thyroid disease. Neuropathologic autopsy data included neurofibrillary tangles, amyloid neuritic and diffuse plaques, hippocampal sclerosis, cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), Lewy bodies, fronto-temporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) with TDP-43, and TDP-43 without FTLD. The association of each neuropathologic marker with inflammatory arthritis and thyroid disease was investigated using regression models.

Approximately 1100 participants had data available regarding autoimmune disease history. Participants with thyroid disease were found to be significantly older than their counterparts without (p<0.01).

Participants with inflammatory arthritis (n=19) demonstrated a near-significant increase in odds of moderate-to-severe CAA compared to participants without (n=989, OR 2.37, 95% CI 0.95-5.88, p-value=0.06). This relationship persisted when controlling for age.

Participants with thyroid disease (n=237) showed a near-significant increase in odds of moderate-to-severe neurofibrillary tangle burden compared to participants without (n=860, OR 1.32, 95% CI 0.93-1.86, p-value=0.12). Controlling for age eliminated this association.

Neither group demonstrated any association with neuritic amyloid or diffuse plaques, hippocampal sclerosis, Lewy bodies, FTLD+TDP-43, or TDP-43 without FTLD.
These findings suggest that there may be an association between inflammatory arthritis and the development of CAA. Similarly, thyroid disease may be associated with the pathogenesis of neurofibrillary tangles. Notably, the finding that thyroid disease was not associated with TDP-43 contrasts with existing literature on this topic, and suggests that the relationship between autoimmunity and neurodegeneration requires further study.
Authors/Disclosures
Candace B. Borders, MD
PRESENTER 		Dr. Borders has nothing to disclose.
S. Ahmad Sajjadi, MD, PhD, MRCP, FÂ鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ (University of California, Irvine) Dr. Sajjadi has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for GUIDEPOINT. Dr. Sajjadi has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as an Editor, Associate Editor, or Editorial Advisory Board Member for Alzheimer Research and Therapy. The institution of Dr. Sajjadi has received research support from NIH.