Dementia's Gender Differences Revealed

A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology has found dementia affects men and women differently, reports Medical Xpress . The University of Queensland conducted a collaborative study with the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health examining 1.1 million Australian death certificates for any mention of dementia. "As people live longer, the chance of getting dementia increases significantly, especially over the age of 80," notes Queensland health biostatistician Dr. Michael Waller. "Our study looked for records where dementia was listed either as the cause of death or as an underlying cause. Within the 184,562 certificates, we found that women had 14 percent higher rates of death from the most common form of dementia — Alzheimer's disease." The research found men had a 20 percent higher rate of death from vascular dementia. Waller says the findings suggest there could be underlying biological factors driving the different rates of Alzheimer's and vascular dementia among males and females. "These factors might include hormonal changes, particularly during menopause, and even differential risk for other conditions such as cardiovascular disease," he concludes.