Seniors who carry the APOE-e4 genetic variation known to increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease appear to stay in the hospital longer when hospitalized than other elderly patients, according to Duke University researchers.

The researchers tested 1,999 Medicare participants to determine if they carried APOE-e4 gene, and then followed study participants for five years. Approximately one third of the participants carried the APOE-e4 variant.

Reporting in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, the researchers reported that even though this group of patients tended to stay longer in the hospital than others, they incurred no greater costs because Medicare uses a payment system based on the patient's diagnosis and not how long they are hospitalized.

But the researchers concluded that patients with APOE-e4 may utilize more health care resources than others.

Other sources: American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry