Dementia Risk Doubles For Women After 65!
Developing dementia is a fear that both men and women have as they get older. However, women are more concerned since studies are finding that they have a greater risk of developing the disease.
Dementia refers to a group of brain disorders that lead to a progressive decline in cognitive function, memory, and behavior that significantly affects daily life. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia.
Almost two-thirds of people in the United States living with Alzheimer’s disease are women, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Also, of the nearly seven million Americans age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s, the association reports that nearly four million are women. The concerns are similar in the United Kingdom (UK), where nearly twice as many women over 65 have Alzheimer’s disease compared to men.
The prevailing theory is that women are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than men because women tend to live longer. The longer a person lives, the greater the risk of developing the brain disorder.
Besides age, genetics play a role in developing dementia. Although both men and women have the ApoE4 gene, which is associated with developing Alzheimer’s disease, the dementia risk seems to be greater in women than in men who have the gene, according to the Alzheimer’s Society UK.
Researchers are also investigating whether menopause is a factor in the dementia risk between women and men. The Alzheimer’s Society UK noted that levels of sex hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, significantly decline in women during late middle age. Estrogen is believed to provide various protective effects on brain health, including the ability to block some harmful effects of substances linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
The Alzheimer’s Society UK says that more research is needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn between sex, menopause, and dementia risk.
Researchers are also investigating “sex-specific differences in the architecture of the brain.” In a study released at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, scientists discovered that variations in the structural and functional connections of a woman’s brain could accelerate the spread of tau, a protein that clumps into tangles and may contribute to cellular damage and, ultimately, cell death.
Men and Women Share Signs of Dementia
Although women may have a higher risk of developing dementia, both men and women have the same signs and symptoms of the disease. Nearly one million people in the UK have dementia, but the Alzheimer’s Society UK reports that over a third of people with dementia have not been diagnosed. This is because many people do not know the signs of the condition, the Alzheimer’s Research UK said. For example, a 2023 YouGov poll showed that less than half of the participants could name “memory loss” as an effect of dementia. What’s more, 22 percent of respondents said they had no idea how the condition affects people.
Researchers and medical professionals who specialize in treating dementia cases recommend learning the signs of early dementia and keeping an eye out for them. Dr. Tim Rittman, a neurology consultant at the Addenbrookes Memory Clinic in the UK, said that one sign of early dementia can be spotted while watching TV. For example, people in the early stages of dementia may find it difficult to follow the storyline of a TV program. Other signs include a loved one asking you to repeat a sentence or struggling to remember the names of common objects, Rittman said.
Because people developing dementia may not recognize how much their memory loss affects their lives, Rittman said family members are more likely to observe these changes, some of which include:
- An inability to concentrate on daily tasks
- Changes to walking gait
- Changes in vision
- Low mood and anxiety
- Trouble with problem-solving and following instructions
- Struggling to put a sentence together (aphasia).
The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK recommends encouraging a loved one or friend to see a doctor if that person shows signs of dementia.
“There are other reasons why someone might be experiencing memory loss,” the NHS says. “However, if dementia is found early, its progress can be slowed down in some cases, so the person may be able to maintain their mental function for longer.”
If you’re supporting a loved one, the NHS says you may want to suggest going with that person to see a doctor to provide support and “be able to help them recall what has been discussed.”
Five Unexpected Signs of Dementia
When discussing dementia signs, the first ones that usually come to mind are memory loss and difficulty concentrating. However, in a TikTok video, neurologist Dr. Baibing Chen, also known as Dr. Bing on TikTok, identified five lesser-known signs of dementia to watch for, whether for ourselves or for family members:
1. Financial problems. Dr. Chen noted that people developing dementia will have difficulty managing money. “This could look like missing payments, struggling with simple budgeting, or making financial decisions that just seem out of character, like giving away large amounts of money or falling for scams,” he said.
2. Struggling with a sleep disorder. It’s a normal part of aging for people to sleep lightly and wake up earlier than they used to. “However, if there are dramatic changes in someone’s sleep habits, where they are starting their morning at, say, 2 am or unable to stay awake during the day, it can be a sign of dementia,” Dr. Chen said.
3. Personality changes. Dementia can affect a person’s mood or personality. For example, Dr. Chen said that “someone who used to be calm might become easily agitated or even aggressive.”
4. Getting lost while driving on familiar roads. People in the early stages of dementia may start to lose their way on familiar roads, and they might even run red lights or miss exits. “We all have lapses in attention and miss an exit once in a while…but if these driving problems become a consistent pattern, it’s time to take it seriously,” Dr. Chen said.
5. Loss of smell. Surprisingly, losing this sense could not only predict a loss of cognitive function but is one of the first signs of dementia. “Many people that eventually go on to develop dementia begin to lose their sense of smell years or even decades before other symptoms appear,” Dr. Chen said.
Men and women may have the same signs and symptoms of dementia, but researchers say more studies are needed to determine why women are more in jeopardy of dementia.
“Having a better understanding of what leads to this imbalance can give us insights into the risk factors for both sexes and can provide intervention targets for the future,” Paola Gilsanz, ScD, research scientist, Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, told the Alzheimer’s Association.” The more we learn, the better we can design interventions to prevent, detect, and treat dementia that are specific to each population.
Source Links:
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/signs-of-dementia-in-women_uk_67b45837e4b063a7b19aa2b7
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/blog/why-dementia-different-women
https://www.alz.org/news/2020/more-women-get-alzheimer-s-than-men-why
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/tv-watching-dementia-sign_uk_67bc3b34e4b029e3b893ed2d
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/driving-gps-dementia-risk_uk_67c81feae4b0efaf8f9f9138
