ABSTRACT
During the last two decades there have been a number of significant advances in the understanding and management of dementia in Alzheimer's disease (DAD), particularly in the areas of molecular genetics and drug treatment. However, the discovery of a definite genetic or clinical marker associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) would be a huge development in the research and clinical management of this form of neurodegenerative disorder. Support for an association between Down syndrome (DS) and macrocytosis was provided by Hewitt and colleagues when they confirmed the finding by Eastham and Jancar, of an association between macrocytosis and DS. Lansdall-Welfare and Hewitt later investigated an association between macrocytosis and DS in 23 patients living in an institution for people with ID. A total of 66 subjects were found to have neither DAD nor macrocytosis, 54 individuals did not have DAD but did have macrocytosis, 10 subjects had DAD but did not have macrocytosis, and 17 individuals had DAD and macrocytosis.
