Alzheimer’s study finds 42 more genes linked to higher risk of disease

The study used the genomes of 100,000 people with Alzheimer’s and 600,000 healthy people. Photograph: Frank Augstein/AP

The largest genetic study of Alzheimer’s to date has provided compelling evidence linking the disease to disruption in the brain’s immune system.

The study, using the genomes of 100,000 people with Alzheimer’s and 600,000 healthy people, identified 75 genes linked to an increased risk of the disease, including 42 that had not previously been implicated.