More women get diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease than men. In developed countries, studies suggest about two-thirds of people with Alzheimer’s are women. It’s a pattern seen in Canada, too, where women account for almost two-thirds of people with dementia ….
Scientists long explained this with a simple demographic fact: women tend to live longer, and age is a strong risk factor for the development of dementia.
But that understanding is now changing.
While age is still considered an important risk, scientists are increasingly realizing other aspects — both biological and sociological — may play an important role in making women susceptible to developing Alzheimer’s.
…
Related on the SLP
One factor scientists now know about: the timing of key hormonal changes, like when women first get their periods, how long they are fertile for, and the age they reach menopause.
…
Premature menopause, which happens before the age of 40, and early menopause (between the ages of 40 and 44) are also key risk factors, said Dr. Walter Rocca, who studies the differences in the way men and women age at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
