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A case-control study of Alzheimer's disease in Australia
Broe GA, Henderson AS, Creasey H, McCusker E, Korten AE, Jorm AF, Longley W, Anthony JC.. Neurology, 1990-11-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
We conducted a case-control study of clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's disease (AD) on 170 cases aged 52 to 96 years, and 170 controls matched for age, sex and, where possible, the general practice of origin. Trained lay interviewers naive to the hypotheses and to the clinical status of the elderly person carried out risk-factor interviews with informants. Significant odds ratios were found for 4 variables: a history of either dementia, probable AD, or Down's syndrome in a 1st-degree relative, and underactivity as a behavioral trait in both the recent and more distant past. Previously reported or suggested associations not confirmed by this study include head injury, starvation, thyroid disease, analgesic abuse, antacid use (aluminum exposure), alcohol abuse, smoking, and being left-handed.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Broe, G. A., Henderson, A. S., Creasey, H., McCusker, E., Korten, A. E., Jorm, A. F., et al. (1990). A case-control study of Alzheimer's disease in Australia. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.40.11.1698
Vancouver
Broe GA, Henderson AS, Creasey H, McCusker E, Korten AE, Jorm AF, et al. A case-control study of Alzheimer's disease in Australia. Neurology. 1990. doi:10.1212/wnl.40.11.1698. PMID: 2146525.
BibTeX
@article{broe1990-2146525,
author = {Broe, G. A. and Henderson, A. S. and Creasey, H. and McCusker, E. and Korten, A. E. and Jorm, A. F. and Longley, W. and Anthony, J. C.},
title = {{A case-control study of Alzheimer's disease in Australia}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {1990},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.40.11.1698},
pmid = {2146525},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.40.11.1698}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 8 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Significant odds ratios were found for 4 variables: a history of either dementia, probable AD, or Down's syndrome in a 1st-degree relative, and underactivity as a behavioral trait in both the recent and more distant past.
Why it matters
This case-control study found significant odds ratios for a family history of dementia, probable Alzheimer's disease, or Down's syndrome, and for underactivity as a behavioral trait. It did not confirm previously reported associations with head injury, starvation, thyroid disease, analgesic abuse, antacid use, alcohol abuse, smoking, or being left-handed.
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Study details
- Study designcase-control study
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 59/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a case-control study. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 6 / 12 | A case-control study |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1990 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 447 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 11.8 citations a year over 38 year(s) since 1990 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 7.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 45 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 12 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author James Christopher Anthony: h-index 91 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 2146525) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 59 / 100 | — |
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