Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-18-2026
Identifier
DOI: 10.1002/dad2.70257; PMCID: PMC12812862
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Down syndrome (DS) exceeds 90%. Approximately 50% of people with DS have congenital heart disease (CHD). Having CHD increases risk for early-onset AD in populations without DS, but it is unclear if CHD influences AD in DS.
METHODS: Data from the Alzheimer Biomarker Consortium-Down Syndrome (ABC-DS) were used. Participants with CHD (n = 82, mean age = 39.9 ± 8.5 years, 97.6% White race) were age- and sex-matched to participants without CHD (n = 82, mean age = 40.5 ± 8.1 years, 98.8% White race). Cognitive assessments and Centiloid load (CL) (positron emission tomography) were compared by CHD status.
RESULTS: People with CHD scored lower for visuospatial ability (β = -3.515, p = 0.022) but had higher CL (29.8 ± 12.8 vs. 39.8 ± 12.8, β = 8.00, p = 0.036) and were projected to hit Aβ positivity at a younger age (37.6 and 42.1 years).
DISCUSSION: Presence of CHD may influence AD progression in DS.
HIGHLIGHTS: In adults with Down syndrome (DS), those with congenital heart disease (CHD) had higher amyloid beta and reached the threshold for an amyloid positivity at a younger age than those without CHDNo differences in cognition were seen in the age- and sex-matched sample based on CHD status; however, the average age of the sample may be too young to see cognitive changesCHDs may influence the timing of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in adults with DS.
Journal Title
Alzheimers Dement (Amst)
Volume
18
Issue
1
First Page
70257
Last Page
70257
PubMed ID
41561734
Keywords
Alzheimer's disease; Down syndrome; cognition; congenital heart disease; dementia; neuroimaging; trisomy 21
Recommended Citation
Clina JG, Helsel BC, Hartley SL, et al. The impact of congenital heart disease on the timing of Alzheimer's disease in Down syndrome. Alzheimers Dement (Amst). 2026;18(1):e70257. Published 2026 Jan 18. doi:10.1002/dad2.70257
Comments
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
Publisher's Link: https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dad2.70257