Why does Alzheimer’s affect more women than men?

Studies on Alzheimer's have shown that the causes are greater in women than in men

Why does Alzheimer’s affect more women than men?

Although we do not know the exact causes of Alzheimer’s, we do know that it affects more women than men. In addition, there are not only more women with Alzheimer’s, but also more women caring for patients with Alzheimer’s. Why, you ask? Keep reading to find out.

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What is Alzheimer’s

Changes in the brain of patients with Alzheimer’s

Key facts

Women play an active role in Alzheimer's disease, not only as patients, but also as caregivers
Women play an active role in Alzheimer’s disease, not only as patients, but also as caregivers

Risk of Alzheimer’s in women

Alzheimer's in women should be given relevance and sufficient attention
Alzheimer’s in women should be given relevance and sufficient attention

According to Sciencedirect, 1 in 5 women over the age of 65 will develop some form of dementia. In other words, if a woman does not develop the disease, it is very likely that one of her girl-friends will.

We know, for example, that many women worry about developing breast cancer; however, they should also be aware of their risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Just as it is important to pay attention to diseases like breast cancer, it is equally as important to be wary of symptoms of a disease like Alzheimer’s, which also has a serious impact on the life of patients.

There are a number of potential reasons why women are more likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s.

The primary reason for this link is that, on average, women live longer than men, and the risk of developing Alzheimer’s increases with age.

However, several studies (such as the first ever large-scale study of reproductive history and dementia risk in women in the US and a case-control, cross-sectional study of 133 elderly British women), reported in the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC), suggest that the risk is greater in women because of their natural biology or social factors. Similarly, it may be related to heart disease rates.

According to these studies, Alzheimer’s is more common in women than in men because:

1.The risk of developing dementia (remember that Alzheimer’s is only one of the many forms of dementia) has been linked to:

  • number of children: women with 3 or more children are 12% less likely to develop dementia than women with just 1 child
  • number of miscarriages: each additional report of a miscarriage was associated with a 9% increased risk of dementia
  • the age at which they had their first menstruation: women that have their first period at the age 16 or later, are 31% more likely to suffer from dementia than women that had their first period at 13
  • the reproductive period, meaning the years between the first period and menopause: women that develop menopause before the age of 45, have a 28% higher chance of suffering from dementia.

2. Links have been found between hormone therapy and a negative effect on cognitive function:

  • women who started hormone therapy between the ages of 65 and 79 showed reduced cognitive function, memory and executive functioning. These changes were not seen in women that started hormone therapy between the ages of 50 and 54.
  • hormone therapy in women with type 2 diabetes also caused an increase of cognitive deterioration

Furthermore, other studies have shown that due to the female advantage of verbal memory, women may be better at masking the signs of Alzheimer’s in the early stages and retaining cognitive function.

However, as they reach the later stages of Alzheimer’s , this advantage disappears and by the time they are diagnosed, cognitive function deterioration occurs more rapidly because their disease is more advanced.

Although these studies and results can help to improve our understanding of Alzheimer’s, we are still lacking a great deal of research on this disease.

Understanding the risk factors for women, which are different from the risk factors for men, will help us to get a better grasp on this disease and establish better Alzheimer’s prevention strategies for specific populations.

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Alzheimer’s for female carers

Most caregivers are members of their own family, friends and other volunteer caregivers.
Most caregivers are members of their own family, friends and other volunteer caregivers.

More than half of all female carers for the elderly, look after people with Alzheimer’s (or some other type of dementia). In addition, most carers are family members, friends or other volunteers.

Statistics show that the responsibility of looking after adults with Alzheimer’s tends to fall on women:

  • Women account for at least 3 out of every 5 unpaid, voluntary carers. This affects various generations, given that if an adult women does not suffer from Alzheimer’s herself, as a wife, it is likely that she will care for her spouse, which, usually, does not happen the other way around. Additionally, more than a third of carers are the daughters of their patients.
  • On average, female carers spend more time looking after their patients than male carers. In fact, there are 2.5 times more women than men who live with the person suffering from this disease (full-time, live-in care).
  • Given the huge responsibility of caring for a patient with Alzheimer’s, female carers tend to experience negative consequences at work. A large portion of female carers of Alzheimer’s patients end up quitting their job altogether because their workload as caregivers is so heavy.

Female caregivers may experience greater levels of depression and health problems than male caregivers. This is due to the fact that female caregivers spend more time with patients to perform all their duties and look after patients with more serious problems (either functional, behavioral or cognitive).

Learn more…

If you are a woman looking after a patient with Alzheimer’s, you are not alone! Support networks for female carers are growing every day. Share this information with your loved ones and help others affected by this disease.

If you or someone close to you has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, we recommend that you read up on this disease and find out more about suitable treatments that could help make the process easier.