Alzheimer’s disease is a profound public health threat. In Australia, it is now the second leading cause of death. According to new studies, women suffer a worse impact from this progressive, neurodegenerative disease. Women are one-half to two-thirds more likely than men to be diagnosed. University of New South Wales’ Ageing Futures Institute’s Kaarin Anstey is the lead on a newly-minted and very cool international project. Thanks to a $4 million funding boost, the team will investigate why this is the case.
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, generally starting with memory loss. Now here’s the big caveat — not everyone shows these initial symptoms. It’s no secret that men and women have significant differences in their brains electric anatomy. These factors may contribute to the sex difference in risk for Alzheimer’s. In this respect, current available data fails to address sex-based differences. This is because they address men and women equally as though they have the exact same dangers and biological influences.
Anstey urges researchers to take a more nuanced approach to Alzheimer’s research. “Second, making sure these women’s health issues are given the same weight in our research as other factors like cardiovascular disease, so that they are not ignored or dismissed as unimportant,” she stated. This demand for redress mirrors the larger worry that sex-specific factors have been overlooked or underexplored in current research.
Emerging evidence suggests that addressing modifiable risk factors can significantly improve health outcomes for individuals at risk of Alzheimer’s. Studies indicate that managing these risks during early and middle stages of life could potentially prevent or delay dementia cases by 45%. In addition, almost half of all global dementia cases could be averted with timely interventions aimed at these risk factors.
Professor Fiona Kumfor, an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre and co-founder of the Dementia Law Network, highlighted that while Alzheimer’s research has advanced, there remains a critical gap in understanding how sex differences affect disease progression. “There hasn’t been a lot of research examining sex differences, but some evidence suggests that women may have more depressive symptoms and changes in beliefs, such as delusions, whereas men may experience more loss in motivation which can lead to apathy,” Kumfor explained. She admits this to be an “important direction for future research.”
Recent diagnostic technologies are showing promising progress, especially blood-based biomarkers, which boast more than 90% rates of success in detecting Alzheimer’s disease. This precision is very important because it leads to earlier interventions and improved management of the condition.
In addition, researchers such as Professor Scott Ayton are calling for lifestyle changes to be promoted as a preventative measure. “Exercise, heart health and diet are shown to make a difference with prevention,” he stated. His research emphasizes that hypertension is the most important modifiable risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s. “Dealing with hypertension at midlife will have better results than addressing it later on in life,” Ayton added.
Memory-related issues are the most recognized overt symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, but they’re not the only ones. For others, the shifts in language, navigation, executive functioning or behavior come on early. “For some people, the earliest changes might be in language, navigation, planning or behaviour,” Kumfor noted.
Anstey and her colleagues hope that by studying hormonal variability and aspects of women’s health that have previously been overlooked, they may uncover vital clues to explain why women face a greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease. “Overall, the most urgent priority is to learn how to reduce the risk of dementia and slow cognitive decline so that we can develop interventions to prevent it,” she asserted.
As seen with campaigns such as the U.S. It highlights the urgent need for policies that address gender disparities in their fight against Alzheimer’s disease. This groundbreaking research is underway to develop better, more targeted prevention strategies. Most importantly, it will center the unique experiences and needs of women.
