Leukocyte hexokinase activity in aging and Alzheimer disease.

We determined the effects of clinical variables on hexokinase (HK) activity in leukocytes from Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and controls. Age accounted for 51% of the variance in HK activity in the young and 23% in the old. Duration of illness in both familial and sporadic AD accounted for HK levels by 32 and 38%, respectively. Hexokinase activity increases with age and does not discriminate between familial and sporadic AD.