AlzBiomarker

Vascular Dementia vs Alzheimer's Disease: albumin ratio (CSF)

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The albumin ratio—the ratio of albumin protein in the cerebrospinal fluid compared to levels in the plasma or serum—is considered a measure of blood-brain barrier function, with higher values indicating increased permeability. Our meta-analysis of nine studies showed a non-significant trend towards a higher albumin ratio in vascular dementia compared with Alzheimer’s disease (effect size = 1.203, p = 0.067). For comparison, there was a trend for the albumin ratio to be slightly (about 10 percent) higher in people with AD than control subjects.

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How to interpret a forest plot: Each individual effect size (ES) is a ratio of the mean biomarker level in one condition over the mean level in another condition. An ES equal to 1 means that the two conditions had identical mean values. An ES > 1 indicates higher levels in the first condition, whereas an ES < 1 indicates lower levels in the first condition. The overall ES, indicated by a black diamond, is a weighted average of the individual effect sizes. The weight of each data point was determined by the inverse of the variance and is reflected in the size of each square. The width of the overall ES diamond is determined by the 95 percent confidence interval. Data out of range of the scale, including ES and confidence intervals, are indicated by an arrowhead at the edge of the plot, when applicable. 

Version 3.0, July 2021.