AAIC 2021 | Age at onset of Alzheimer’s disease is consistent in adults with Down syndrome

M. Florencia Iulita, PhD, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain, describes findings from a systematic review investigating the age at onset, age at death, and duration of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in adults with Down syndrome. The review found that age at onset of AD in Down syndrome was consistent across the 44 examined studies, with the variability in the span at which 95% of individuals develop cognitive symptoms being comparable with that of autosomal dominant AD. Dr Iulita explains why knowing there is a conserved age of onset in adults with Down syndrome is important for future clinical trials and studies. Dr Iulita wishes to acknowledge all colleagues at the Sant Pau Memory Unit as well as collaborators at Aarhus University who helped with the development of the systematic search. This interview took place during the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC), 2021.