Alzheimer’s Part 2: A Sexist Disease?

Courtesy of Prevention.com

Courtesy of Prevention.com

This is my second blog about Alzheimer’s, one of the most complicated and pressing cognitive diseases our society faces. If you missed my first blog on the basics and the connection to sleep, you can read it here. The Alzheimer’s Association and other websites report that women are two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients. This is at minimum an eyebrow-raising statistic. Why is this disease affecting women one and a half times more than men? A recent research detailed in the Washington Post  (WP) last week tries to explain why.

Women live longer than men; that’s a common first explanation. But even when that was taken into account, says WP, the trends still showed that more women were affected. So what are the alternative explanations? One thought is the gene APOe4. I noticed that the gene is not sex-linked, meaning men and women should develop the gene at equal rates. Looking closer, the problem isn’t rate of development. The problem is, WP says, is that women with the gene are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s than women without it. Men with the gene have no significantly higher rate of development than men without it.

Estrogen may be tied to this gene and be the key the gender question. Both the WP and EverydayHealth.com voiced this idea. Estrogen regulates metabolism, and when it decreases because of menopause, there are consequences. The explanation that Dr. Suzanne Craft at Wake Forest University’s School of Medicine gives in WP sums it up really well: “It’s kind of like burning rubber tires instead of propane. You’ll get heat, but you’ll get a lot of toxic byproducts as well.”

If it’s a hormone issue, hormones might be the answer. The WP detailed recent studies that have started to find that certain hormone treatments for women after menopause can decrease the chances of Alzheimer’s. At the same time, other hormone treatments actually increase the risks of the disease. Although it may be a frustrating conclusion, the reality is that the gender question is still essentially unsolved. Hopefully in the next few decades as more baby-boomers age, we will find more conclusive answers. If you, the reader, find more definite explanations, let me know, I’d love to hear about them!

One thought on “Alzheimer’s Part 2: A Sexist Disease?

  1. Alyssa Marie Gregory

    This blog really touched me for my grandmother has Alzheimer’s! It is a very sad disease and I wish there was a cure for it. My great grandmother had it so you are def correct when you say it has to do with genetics. My grandma is the oldest of 12 siblings who inherited this disease. It’s now not to my surprise that her brothers around her age haven’t developed this disease for they are men. Hopefully her sisters do not get it as well. Being that this disease is more common in women than men I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my dad doesn’t get it as well! I certainly don’t want to develop it. After I finish this comment Im def going to your other post to read it, I find this disease very interesting. Check out these other interesting facts about Alzheimer’s disease:
    http://www.aplaceformom.com/blog/2013-02-28-scary-facts-about-alzheimers-disease/

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