Women With Memory Loss More Likely to Develop Alzheimer's

Recently a study published in JAMA Neurology found some indications that a man's memory actually worsens over time more so than a woman's. But now two significant new studies are showing that women with memory loss are more likely to develop Alzheimer's Disease. 

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of cases, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.  It is important to note that Alzheimer’s is not a part of normal aging.  Alzheimer’s worsens over time, with early symptoms including difficulty remembering names and events, apathy and depression, and later symptoms including impaired judgment, confusion, behavior changes and difficulty walking, speaking or swallowing.  Despite there being no cure for Alzheimer’s disease and the fact that available treatments cannot stop the progression, some treatments are available and can slow the progression to improve quality of life.

The study found that elderly women are more likely than elderly men to develop Alzheimer's disease when the same risk factors are shared. Women who had mild cognitive problems such as memory impairment and difficulties with language or thinking skills. The decline in cognitive ability twice as fast as men who also have milk cognitive impairment. 

The second study found that women declined more dramatically than men in measures of cognition, function and brain size after they underwent surgery and generally anesthesia. Both of these studies have yet to be published in journals but were presented at the 2015 Alzheimer's Association International Conference. 

Those who do have mild cognitive problems are still able to function in everyday activities but the residual effects of this decline tends to be noticeable in typical conversations. This decline puts people at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia. 

The first study analyzed 400 people with mild impairment and researchers look at their abilities and decline over an 8-year period. Each participant underwent a cognitive exam with 11 parts that were scored on a scale from 0-70. The women amongst the group saw an average decline of 2.3 points where men only saw 1.05.

Both genders declined faster is they shared a specific gene called ApoE4 associated with an increased Alzheimer's risk. They factored this in as well as age, education, baseline cognition score and follow-up time, women still measured more likely to decline faster than men. 

Elderly women also have a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s than men if they’ve had surgery and general anesthesia, the other study had concluded. 

Studies such as these may help researchers understand why nearly two-thirds of American seniors with Alzheimer’s disease are women, said Maria Carrillo, chief scientific officer of the Alzheimer’s Association.

“Women are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s, and there is an urgent need to understand if differences in brain structure, disease progression and biological characteristics contribute to higher prevalence and rates of cognitive decline,” said the lead author.