Molecular mimicry and host response to pathogens in multiple sclerosis vs. tuberculosis: An in silico neuroimmunology approach

Background and aims: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been studied in recent years; however, no clear evidence of association has been found yet. As potential biomarker for AD, plasma beta amyloid level is likewise under study by researchers. We examined the correlation between plasma beta amyloid levels and cognitive functions of Type 2 DM patients with Dementia as indicated by their neurocognitive assessment scores with the end in view of finding a less invasive early detection of AD among diabetic patients. Methods: In this cross sectional study, 100 Type 2 DM patients with dementia underwent plain cranial CT scan, plasma beta amyloid, MMSE and MoCA tests. Patients were categorised as having vascular or non vascular dementia using NINDS-AIREN criteria. Elevated plasma beta amyloid (≥1.1pg/ml) was used as biomarker for AD. Results: Among Type 2 DM patients with dementia, there was an increased prevalence of AD (46.7%). The prevalence of vascular dementia was 6%. Among patients with Non Vascular Dementia, majority (51.3%) had elevated beta amyloid. There was no significant correlation between both MMSE (r=-0.0192, p=0.8557) and MoCA scores (r=0.0939, p=0.3731) with beta amyloid level.