Currently, it is estimated that 3.3 million women aged 65 and above have Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in the United States. Overall, women face an increased risk of developing AD due to hormonal shifts that occur during menopause which can increase the risk of neurological changes. Furthermore, women above the age of 60 are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease over the course of the rest of their lives as they are to develop breast cancer, yet the condition is not widely recognized as a women’s health issue.
What is Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. In most people with the disease symptoms first, appear in their mid-60s. Early-onset Alzheimer’s occurs between a person’s 30s and mid-60s and is very rare. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia among older adults.
The disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. Her symptoms included memory loss, language problems, and unpredictable behavior. After she died, he examined her brain and found many abnormal clumps (now called amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (now called neurofibrillary, or tau, tangles).
The Female Brain and Alzheimer’s Disease
According to recent research from investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine women in mid-life have approximately 30% more Alzheimer’s-related plaques than men of the same age. As part of their study, researchers evaluated 121 middle-aged participants without AD symptoms and with the presence of some risk factors such as genetic risk or a family history of the disease. They discovered that women also had a 22% lower brain glucose metabolism indicative of lower energy levels in the brain, as well as 11% more brain shrinkage. Both of these neurological biomarkers were associated with menopause.
Noting the significantly increased brain changes associated with AD in female participants, the team of researchers set out to identify relevant risk factors, including age, education, cholesterol levels, smoking status, dietary habits, exercise levels, diabetes, menopause, hormonal therapy, and hysterectomy among others. They found that menopause was the primary predictor of Alzheimer’s disease-related changes in women’s brains and while hormonal therapy was also associated with the condition, women undergoing treatment exhibited fewer negative brain changes.
Menopause, Hormonal Risk Factors, and Neurological Health
Although menopause is not often associated with the brain, approximately 80% of women going through menopause experience at least some neurological symptoms ranging from insomnia and memory loss to depression and anxiety. Left unaddressed, these changes may escalate to serious neurological conditions.
Despite being the only neurodegenerative condition that affects more women than men, Alzheimer’s disease in female patient remains under-recognized. Gaps in knowledge and scientific literature highlight the need to explore the specific factors that contribute to women’s increased vulnerability to a number of conditions that negatively impact overall brain health. A growing understanding of the varying reasons underlying cognitive changes in both women and men as well as the sex differences in neurological aging and function will likely change the way AD and other neurodegenerative conditions are treated.
Due to advances in research, there are newly discovered opportunities to identify, address, and act upon telling risk factors before clinical symptoms of neurological conditions emerge. Doing so will require comprehensive training and medical education for physicians, enhanced public awareness, and strategic prevention initiatives. Compelling evidence exists revealing the significant benefit of specific medical and lifestyle practices on female brain health; lifestyle interventions can be both safer and better tolerated than traditional pharmacologic approaches while also being just as effective.
Early symptoms
Memory problems are typically one of the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease, though different people may have different initial symptoms. A decline in other aspects of thinking, such as finding the right words, vision/spatial issues, and impaired reasoning or judgment, may also signal the very early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, is a condition that can also be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease—but not everyone with MCI will develop Alzheimer’s. In addition to memory problems, movement difficulties and problems with the sense of smell have been linked to MCI.
Is there a way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease?
Currently, there is no definitive evidence about what can prevent Alzheimer’s disease or age-related cognitive decline. What we do know is that a healthy lifestyle—one that includes a healthy diet, physical activity, appropriate weight, and no smoking—can lower the risk of certain chronic diseases and boost overall health and well-being. Scientists are very interested in the possibility that a healthy lifestyle might delay, slow down, or even prevent Alzheimer’s. They are also studying the role of social activity and intellectual stimulation in Alzheimer’s disease risk.
