Sunday, May 4, 2008

Gender Differences Affect the Development of Dementia

The Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry published an article, Risk profiles for mild cognitive impairment and progression to dementia are gender specific, that presents finding that men and women have different risk profiles for the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

French researcher’s conducted a study of approximately 7,000 subjects 65 and over in three French cities. The screening excluded patients presenting dementia but included subjects with mild-Cognitive Impairment (approximately 40% of the sample). The subjects were tested at inclusion and retested in two and four year intervals.

6.5% patients presenting with mild-Cognitive Impairment developed some for of dementia within 4 years. 50% of the sample remained stable and 33% of the sample had their cognitive function return to normal.

The French researchers found:

Subjects that had ApoE 4 marker were more likely to progress from mild-Cogntive Impairment to dementia;

Female subjects with depression and those taking anticholinergic medications were more likely to progress from mild-Cognitive Impairment to dementia;

Female subjects with mild-Cognitive Impairment was a positively associated poor general health, disability and lacking a support network with conversion to dementia;

Female subject who could not perform basic activities of daily living converted at a 3.5x the sample and those with depression converted at 2x the rate.

Male subjects mild-Cognitive Impairment was positively associated with overweight, having diabetes, and having a history of stroke;

Male subjects with mild-Cognitive Impairment was positively associated with being overweight, diabetic, and having a history of stroke converting to dementia;

Male subjects with a history of stroke converted from mild-Cognitive Impairment to dementia at three times the rate of other subjects;

The Healing Project has strongly advocated in the past and still advocates routine screening for cognitive impairment because in many cases it reflects conditions that can be treated and fully reverse the cognitive impairment. Clinical treatment protocols should take into account possible gender differences and seek to reverse where possible mild-Cognitive Impairment.

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